ANYbotics has started delivering ANYmal X, its four-legged inspection robot built to work in places where a single spark could set off an explosion. The Swiss company announced on Tuesday, October 27, that the first units are going to oil, gas and chemical customers, naming Equinor and DSM-Firmenich among them. It calls ANYmal X the world’s first legged inspection robot for explosive atmospheres.
The launch is also late. When ANYbotics opened commercial orders in September 2022, it said more than 500 ANYmal X units were already reserved and that first deliveries would start in mid-2023. Deliveries are starting more than three years after that date, and the company hasn’t said how many robots are shipping now or what they cost.
- What shipped: ANYmal X, an autonomous quadruped for inspection rounds in explosive areas of plants and offshore platforms. Customer deliveries began October 27, 2026.
- Price: not published. ANYbotics sells it with a docking station, nitrogen refill station, tablet and its Shift software; you have to ask for a quote.
- Certification: ATEX for Zone 1 and Zone 2 gas areas (Gas Group IIB, T4), certified by Bureau Veritas. IECEx is still pending and is due with first production.
- The catch: no unit counts, no price, and it isn’t rated for Zone 0, dust, or hydrogen and acetylene atmospheres. First deliveries were promised for mid-2023.
What ANYmal X is for
Oil refineries, gas plants, chemical sites and offshore platforms have areas where flammable gas can be present during normal operation. Under European ATEX rules, those are Zone 1 areas, and anything electrical brought into them has to be built so it can’t ignite that gas. Today, a lot of the routine work in those areas is done by people walking set routes: reading gauges, listening for leaks, checking temperatures and looking for drips.
ANYmal X is meant to take over those rounds. It walks the same routes on its own, climbs stairs and steps over pipes, and collects readings with a sensor head on its back. ANYbotics already sells the standard ANYmal for areas without explosion risk. The X version is the one that can go into the hazardous parts of a site.
Wheeled and tracked explosion-protected inspection robots have existed for years. ANYbotics’ claim is narrower: that ANYmal X is the first robot with legs to be certified for these atmospheres. Legs matter on plant floors full of stairs, grating and raised pipework that wheels struggle with.
How ANYbotics made a robot dog explosion-proof
A walking robot is full of things that can cause a spark: motors, a large battery, chargers and data connections. ANYbotics says it handled that in layers. The robot’s electronics sit in sealed chambers filled with nitrogen, so there’s no oxygen around them. The outer shells are non-metallic, the feet are conductive so static charge drains to the ground, and all 12 leg actuators and the battery have flameproof casings. Energy barriers limit the power that flows through charging and data links.
The nitrogen needs topping up, which is why the kit includes a nitrogen refill station alongside the dock. ANYbotics’ FAQ says the robot charges outside the hazardous area and that the nitrogen supply has to be at least 99.9% pure. The dock takes up about 1 by 2 meters, or 2 by 2 meters with the refill station.
The certification details are specific. ANYbotics lists ATEX approval for Zones 1 and 2, Gas Group IIB, temperature class T4, Category 2G and equipment protection level Gb, with the EU-type examination certificate issued by Bureau Veritas. Its FAQ says IECEx, the international scheme many sites outside Europe require, “will be available with first production,” because it needs an audit of series production. The robot isn’t rated for Zone 0, for dust atmospheres, or for Group IIC gases such as hydrogen and acetylene.
ANYmal X specs
ANYbotics labels its published specs as preliminary. Here’s what it lists:
- Sensors: a pan-tilt payload with a zoom camera, a 640 by 512 radiometric thermal camera, an acoustic imager for finding gas leaks by sound, and a microphone. A gas detection module is optional.
- Battery: more than three hours per charge, with autonomous docking to recharge.
- Mobility: stairs up to 45 degrees, with a maximum step rise of 230 mm and a minimum run of 210 mm. It can navigate in total darkness.
- Protection: IP65 for the robot and IP67 for the payload. Operating temperature runs from minus 10 to 50 degrees Celsius, at altitudes up to 2,000 meters.
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 and 5G or 4G LTE, and it can run missions offline.
The robot reports into Shift, ANYbotics’ inspection software, which the company says connects with SAP, Yokogawa and SLB systems and is ISO 27001 certified.
Why ANYmal X took three years longer
ANYbotics first showed ANYmal X in 2022. At the time it called the robot “the only Ex-certified legged robot,” said more than 500 units were reserved and set mid-2023 for first deliveries. Reservations aren’t orders, and the company hasn’t said how many of those 500 turned into purchases.
The company didn’t give a reason for the delay in this week’s announcement. What it did describe is the work. CEO Péter Fankhauser said the launch follows “four years of pioneering engineering with more than ten patents.” ANYbotics also says it ran an Early Access program from 2023 with BP, Equinor, Shell, PETRONAS, Petrobras, BASF and SLB, covering “hundreds of onshore and offshore missions.” PETRONAS, one of those early users, is quoted on the ANYmal X product page backing the robot.
That pattern is common in industrial robotics. Certifying hardware for explosive atmospheres means redesigning parts, testing them with a notified body and then auditing production, and each step can send engineers back to the drawing board. Our guide to robot readiness levels explains why a pilot program and a delivered product are very different milestones. ANYmal X has now crossed into the second one, at least for a first group of customers.
Who is buying it
Equinor and DSM-Firmenich are the only customers ANYbotics named as receiving units. Chief revenue officer Thierry Obédé said ANYbotics already works with more than 50 customers in power, metals and materials, running over 120,000 autonomous inspections every month. Those numbers describe ANYbotics’ existing business, not ANYmal X, which is only now shipping.
ANYbotics says ANYmal X opens up a $102 billion market for inspection work in hazardous areas, which is its own estimate. The next public look comes at ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi, November 2 to 5, where the company says it will show the robot with SLB and Kuwait Oil Company. For buyers, the useful signals to watch are IECEx certification, a published price or rental model, and how many units reach sites by the end of 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is ANYmal X?
ANYmal X is a four-legged autonomous inspection robot from Swiss company ANYbotics, built and ATEX-certified to work in Zone 1 and Zone 2 explosive gas atmospheres at oil, gas and chemical sites. It carries cameras, a thermal camera and an acoustic imager on routine inspection rounds.
How much does ANYmal X cost?
ANYbotics hasn’t published a price. It sells ANYmal X as a package with a docking station, charger, nitrogen refill station, an ATEX-rated tablet and its Shift inspection software, and quotes buyers directly.
When did ANYmal X deliveries start?
ANYbotics announced on October 27, 2026, that customer deliveries had begun, with Equinor and DSM-Firmenich among the first customers. In 2022 the company had said first deliveries would start in mid-2023.
Is ANYmal X certified for hydrogen?
No. ANYbotics says ANYmal X is certified for Gas Group IIB, not Group IIC, which covers hydrogen and acetylene. It also isn’t rated for Zone 0 or for dust atmospheres.
Does ANYmal X have IECEx certification?
Not yet. It has ATEX certification from Bureau Veritas. ANYbotics says IECEx certification will be available with first production, because that scheme requires an audit of series production.
Sources
- ANYbotics, “ANYbotics launches ANYmal X” (press release, October 27, 2026): anybotics.com
- ANYbotics, ANYmal X product page, specifications and FAQ: anybotics.com
- ANYbotics, ANYmal X commercial launch at the Sprint conference (press release, September 28, 2022): anybotics.com
- SiliconANGLE, “ANYbotics begins delivery of legged inspection robot built for explosive atmospheres” (October 27, 2026): siliconangle.com
- Hydrocarbon Processing, “ANYbotics starts customer deliveries of ANYmal X” (October 2026): hydrocarbonprocessing.com
- ANYbotics, “Introducing ANYmal X” (official YouTube channel, October 27, 2026): youtube.com
All sources accessed October 30, 2026, between about 9:50 and 10:40 AM ET.
Last updated: October 30, 2026. To report an error, see our corrections page. Articles are drafted with AI assistance and reviewed and edited by an editor; see our editorial policy.
