1.Overview

The robot has explosion-proof performance (performance in which it does not itself become a source of ignition) certified by Japanese, U.S., and European regulations to operate in flammable gas environments such as oil and gas chemical plants, and it can automatically ascend and descend stairs and steps as well as corridors in plants, making full use of the crawler system used for the exploration robot after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. It is a mobile robot that automatically patrols and inspects multi-story plants. It is a “moving IoT 3sensor” system that automatically recharges in a flammable gas environment, operates unattended and continuously day and night, links inspection information acquired by sensors (visible camera, thermal camera, gas detector, and microphone) to the cloud using LTE, and detects plant anomalies and notifies users through AI information processing.

2.Technology

This technology was launched in April 2022 under the product name “EX ROVR . The system is expected to help the oil and gas chemical industry cope with the looming labor shortage and declining operation rates and safety due to aging facilities. In particular, there have been many inquiries for purchase and trial operation (rental and lease) from overseas oil majors seeking to reduce manpower requirements for offshore platform-type oil drilling rigs. Please refer to the figure below for an overview of the product, and to the product website (https://www.mhi.com/jp/products/energy/ex_rovr.html or search for “EX ROVR”) for detailed specifications and videos of the system in operation.

The development of this technology dates back to the 2012 accident at the Sasago Tunnel on the Chuo Expressway. The ceiling panel fell down, and the tunnel was filled with flammable gas. To check the situation in this tunnel, it was not possible to deploy an exploration device, an electrical device that could be a source of ignition, a person had no choice but to enter the tunnel relying on a gas detector in the face of danger. This lesson led to the development of explosion-proof mobile robots that could operate in flammable gas environments. At the time, there were no battery-powered wireless electrical devices other than handheld devices that had obtained explosion-proof certification, and it took four years to obtain explosion-proof certification for a wireless mobile robot, starting from the interpretation of the law. It then took two years to arrive at the current product concept, and four years to develop and commercialize the technology specific to plant inspection patrols. During this time, we were blessed with good encounters with domestic and foreign petroleum companies, and received support from many people in the form of joint research, commissioned research, and grants. We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for their support.

As of January 2024, there are only four types of wireless robots in the world that have received official explosion-proof certification as far as we know, and of these, this technology is the only one that can be used in Japan. We will continue our research to contribute to plant DX and develop the market through friendly competition with our rivals.

Ken Onishi(Member, MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD (1-1-1, Wadasaki-cho, Hyogo-ku, Kobe-city, Hyogo-pref.))

Noriko Onishi(MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD)

Kenichi Murasumi(MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD)

Koji Shukutani(MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD)

Shuhei Kobori(MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD)