KORTHOS / ECOSYSTEM / PRODUCT

EX ROVR ASCENT

About

About EX ROVR ASCENT

EX ROVR ASCENT is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' tracked inspection robot for plants where combustible gas can make routine human patrols hazardous. IECEx and ATEX certification covers Zone 1 operation in gas group IIB plus hydrogen, temperature class T3. Visible and thermal cameras, microphones and gas sensing collect instrument, temperature, sound and atmosphere data during scheduled rounds.

The 70-kilogram robot combines 3D-lidar localization with articulated tracks for industrial stair routes. A six-degree-of-freedom manipulator and three-finger gripper position cameras near gauges and equipment or operate simple controls. ASCENT runs for one to two hours, depending on operation, and recharges in roughly two hours at its station; remote mission planning and cloud inspection records support unattended patrols and incident assessment across multiple plant levels.

Capabilities

Source-backed capabilities

  • Operating environments: Industrial plant technology test facility, Operating oil refinery, TotalEnergies TADI industrial test site, Lacq, France, ENEOS Oita refinery; June–September 2023 trial
  • Control modes: Autonomous
  • Stair climbing

    Customer-site use - 2025-02-13 - MHI and TotalEnergies completed a three-month EX ROVR ASCENT trial at the TADI industrial test site in Lacq, France, evaluating stair navigation and autonomous control-panel operation. - environment: Industrial plant technology test facility

    Source
  • Remote and shared control

    Demonstrated - 2023-11-09 - A six-axis explosion-proof arm positioned the camera near plant instruments; remote operations and mission planning used the accompanying application.

    Source
  • Robotic inspection

    Customer-site use - 2023-11-09 - EX ROVR ASCENT performed autonomous inspection trials at ENEOS Oita refinery from June through September 2023, collecting instrument images, thermal scans and acoustic information. - environment: Operating oil refinery

    Source
  • Industrial equipment operation

    Pilot - 2025-02-13 - Operate a control panel during the three-month TotalEnergies TADI site trial in Lacq, France. - environment: TotalEnergies TADI industrial test site, Lacq, France

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  • Inspection

    Pilot - 2023-11-09 - Collect instrument images, thermal scans and acoustic data on autonomous patrols at ENEOS Oita refinery. - environment: ENEOS Oita refinery; June–September 2023 trial

    Source

Deployments

  • Operating Use

    3-month trial - 2025-02-13 - TotalEnergies - Industrial plant technology test facility - MHI and TotalEnergies completed a three-month EX ROVR ASCENT trial at the TADI industrial test site in Lacq, France, evaluating stair navigation and autonomous control-panel operation.

    Source
  • Operating Use

    Autonomous inspection trial, June–September 2023 - 2023-11-09 - ENEOS - Operating oil refinery - EX ROVR ASCENT performed autonomous inspection trials at ENEOS Oita refinery from June through September 2023, collecting instrument images, thermal scans and acoustic information.

    Source

Resources

Curated durable documents and official technical references.

Timeline

  • MHI completes EX ROVR ASCENT trial at TotalEnergies TADI site

    2025-02-13 - Demonstration - Testing covered stair navigation and autonomous control-panel operation. The integrated six-axis arm was used to evaluate remote plant operations. Feedback from the trial informs further usability and functionality development for onshore and offshore assets.

    Source
  • MHI completes EX ROVR ASCENT inspection trial at ENEOS Oita refinery

    2023-11-09 - Demonstration - The robot traversed uneven floors, narrow spaces, grass, gravel and pooled water, including night-time operation. The trial collected instrumentation images, thermal scans and acoustic information during refinery patrols. A six-axis explosion-proof arm positioned the camera near plant instruments; remote operations and mission planning used the accompanying application.

    Source
  • MHI launches second-generation EX ROVR as ASCENT

    2022-04-11 - Product Launch - IECEx and ATEX certification supports Zone 1 combustible-gas operation. The robot combines autonomous plant inspection with a six-degree-of-freedom manipulator. Visible, thermal, gas and audio sensing feed remote inspection records.

    Source

Context

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