ABOUT

The offshore energy production use case focuses on introducing mobile manipulators to perform both autonomous inspection and semi-autonomous intervention tasks in industrial environments. Such offshore operations expose operators to safety risks related to process conditions and the operating environment (e.g. high-pressure pipelines and valves, flammable or toxic fumes, and fire or explosion hazards). The objective of this pilot is to reduce operator exposure to hazardous areas while improving the efficiency, reliability, and flexibility of inspection and maintenance processes and reducing the need for robotics expertise during normal operation.

The envisaged JARVIS solution deploys mobile manipulators capable of performing 1) autonomous inspection missions, which are non-contact operations such as visual checks and data collection, as well as 2) semi-autonomous intervention tasks under human supervision, which require physical interaction with the process, such as operating valves or switches. Within the adopted human-in-the-loop approach, operators specify high-level tasks rather than controlling the robot directly, while being supported by AI-based mission planning, and continuously approve subsequent actions. Overall, the JARVIS solution will enable the mobile robots to autonomously navigate the environment, avoid obstacles, and perform self-charging when required, while streaming operational data to dedicated control rooms to support continuous and flexible deployment.

End-user EQUINOR

technical coach and testbed host SINTEF