The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said it has deployed a heavy-duty robot at its Taweelah gas compression plant to perform routine inspections in hazardous environments. The company said the technology reduces human exposure to risk and will help engineers identify potential gas leaks, hotspots, and other hazardous situations.
Developed by Austrian-based robotics firm Taurob, the robot operates autonomously using a package of sensors, including 3D LiDAR and thermal cameras that have a 360° range of motion.
Additionally, ADNOC is co-developing what it says will be the upstream industry’s first heavy-duty operator robot, extending capabilities beyond inspection to include physical interaction with industrial equipment. Called the Autonomous Robot for Gas and Oil Sites (ARGOS), the system is the centerpiece of an establlished joint industry project that also includes Equinor, Petrobras, and TotalEnergies, along with the Net Zero Technology Centre, Saft, and Taurob.
ARGOS is being designed for extreme conditions, including operation in temperatures ranging from -4°F to 140°F.
ADNOC said in a release that the robot “will be strong enough to lift heavy equipment and precise enough to turn valves and operate gauges, tasks that would normally require people to enter high-risk areas.”
The operator robot is expected to be introduced by the end of this year and can be operated remotely by humans or function in autonomous mode.
“Artificial and physical intelligence are core to ADNOC’s long-term energy strategy, transforming how we operate across the value chain,” said Dena Almansoori, ADNOC’s chief technology and innovation officer. “At Taweelah, autonomous advanced robots are already deployed in live operations as we continue to develop the next generation of industrial robotics.”
ADNOC also credited a program called Cockpit.ai with reducing safety incidents across its operations by 30%. The platform provides real-time safety data while monitoring robots and drones. Cockpit.ai also includes emissions monitoring and incident response capabilities for ADNOC’s onshore and offshore operations.