Equinor's Project Leader in Robotics, Anette Jacobsen, will be presenting at Hazardex Live 2026 about the use of non-Ex certified quadruped robots for hazardous areas.

Installing quadruped robots in onshore oil & gas environments presents challenges to current IEC/Ex and ATEX requirements. Using robots in the field requires mobility, low weight, and defined work tasks to ensure safer operations, where sensor data must be combined to provide precise information and accurate condition monitoring in an O&G facility. Additionally, the profitability of robot implementation must be justified. Today's Ex requirements cannot provide a complete ignition source guarantee. Therefore, a comprehensive risk assessment must always be carried out, regardless of whether a robot supplier claims that a robot is Ex certified. This is not a complete guarantee against ignition source potential.

Current robot technology, “as is,” is largely intrinsically safe. Existing IEC/Ex and ATEX requirements need to be adapted to new robot technology to further increase operational safety and sustainability within O&G, and will also be a significant contribution to the green transition.

About the speaker:

Anette Jacobsen, Project Leader in robotics at Equinor, has eight years of experience with award-winning pilot robot projects in onshore oil and gas. She has Extensive operational background, beginning a career as a certified welder and welding instructor. Anette is also educated as a computer engineer and has worked in operational maintenance for 25 years.