BASF's pilot project to use Anybotics' robot for inspection of its production facility is a step towards a lights-out factory but may see technology-related challenges

July 19, 2021 | Case Study

Following the principles of Industry 4.0, many manufacturing companies have adopted IoT sensors and industrial analytics for automating various processes such as predictive maintenance (PdM) and automated inspection to improve their overall production efficiency. However, there are various roadblocks to scaling these automation tasks for multi-sensory inspection and monitoring with the full coverage of extended areas. The German chemicals company BASF is testing the four-legged robot developed by ANYbotics (Lux Take: Engage) in its 10 square kilometers Ludwigshafen location to overcome some of these roadblocks. BASF has integrated the 3D CAD model of its plant with the robot's navigation system so that the robot autonomously navigates the complicated terrain of such a large facility while collecting visual, thermal, and acoustic data.