The Oil & Gas Technology Centre, Total E&P (Total), taurob and the Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt) are all working together to develop a robot that could work autonomously alongside humans on a North Sea platform.

Through an 18-month project, which is being described as a “world-first,” the entities will develop and trial a mobile robot for “autonomous operational inspection” of facilities on Total’s onshore Shetland Gas Plant and offshore Alwyn platform.

According to the entities, the trial is the first time that an autonomous ground robot will be used on an operational oil and gas installation, and they believe that the project “could start a revolution in robotics offshore that improves safety, enhances productivity and reduces costs.”

“We are delighted to be involved in this world-first project that is at the cutting-edge of robotics for the oil and gas industry,” says Rebecca Allison, Asset Integrity Solution Centre Manager.

“A robot working alongside humans on a North Sea platform isn’t a distant aspiration, it could be a reality in the next 18-months, paving the way for a robotics revolution.”

Dave Mackinnon, Head of Technology & Innovation for Total E&P UK, adds, “Total believes that robots have the potential to play an important role on offshore platforms.  We are on the cusp of delivering technology that will improve safety, reduce costs and even prolong the life of North Sea operations. Robots represent an exciting new paradigm for the oil and gas offshore industry and Total is proud to be part of it.”

The Technology Centre and Total are developing the robot in collaboration with Austrian manufacturer taurob and Germany's TU Darmstadt. In 2017, taurob and TU Darmstadt worked together to win Total’s ARGOS (Autonomous Robots for Gas and Oil Sites) challenge, which involved developing an autonomous robot that could perform routine tasks and respond to challenges in a simulated oil and gas operational environment.

Taurob and TU Darmstadt’s robot is ATEX-certified (certified to work in gas environments without risk of ignition), and it is capable of conducting tasks such as performing visual inspections, navigating through narrow pathways and up and down stairs, and measuring temperature and gas concentration.

This new project will develop a “further two versions” of the ARGOS robot that are “more robust and reliable, have improved functionality and can be operated by workers offshore without the requirement for onsite robotics experts.”

“After winning the ARGOS Challenge, we are excited to enter the industrialization phase together with Total and the Oil & Gas Technology Centre,” says Matthias Biegl, Managing Director for taurob. “During the next 18 months our ATEX certified and autonomous robot will be further enhanced to be eventually deployed on an offshore platform in the North Sea.”

Dr. Oskar von Stryk, Professor of Computer Science for TU Darmstadt, adds, “we are excited to bring our winning autonomous capabilities and user interface from the ARGOS Challenge to the next level for increased safety and efficiency of future operations on oil and gas sites.”