AIRA Challenge 2024 AIRA Challenge 2022
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Introducing Andy

Your plant service robot

Andy – your plant service robot – will do regular inspections and other tasks in chemical production facilities. Andy will increase safety and availability of production lines and improve process understanding by objective data sensing.

We, as part of the chemical industry, invite you to join this challenge and demonstrate your technology in an open innovation challenge with visibility at global scale.

Be invited to the ACHEMA - the world’s largest tradeshow for the process industry – and get the opportunity to win 40.000€.

Achema Event Video

Introducing Andy

Your plant service robot

Andy – your plant service robot – will do regular inspections and other tasks in chemical production facilities. Andy will increase safety and availability of production lines and improve process understanding by objective data sensing.

We, as part of the chemical industry, invite you to join this challenge and demonstrate your technology in an open innovation challenge with visibility at global scale.

Be invited to the ACHEMA - the world’s largest tradeshow for the process industry – and get the opportunity to win 40.000€.

The Challenge

Demonstrate the capabilities of your system

  • in navigating and

  • executing simple tasks in a chemical plant.

The Opportunity

The modular combination of data sensing, simple manipulations and transport will make Andy a most valuable member of our teams at chemical production sites. Our open-innovation challenge AIRA is looking for the most promising technology to deliver Andy to all of us in near future.

To learn more about specific challenge conditions download the official rules here.

Your solution should perform some or all of the following activities:

We want to meet Andy - your plant service robot - and find out how it performs some of the routine tasks done thousands of times every day. We are also interested in solutions which only perform some of the tasks.
The details can be found in the rules.

Navigate

Your robot must find its way through a chemical facility, mount stairs and deal with all types of surfaces such as gratings, concrete, … On top your robot needs to deal with obstacles such as pallets, hoses, cones, or warning lights.

Data Sensing

Andy must detect the existence of dynamically placed critical objects (represented in the graphic by a traffic cone) and take accurate pictures from defined and statically positioned equipment.

Simple manipulations

Some activities require robots to perform simple tasks. In this competition your robot should be able to push a button, opens a valve, take a sample, put a cap on a bottle.

Transport

Transporting samples from the facility to a laboratory is an activity that happens often. Show that your robot can transport a sample from one dedicated location to another.

Concept for ATEX certification

Robots which work in chemical facilities need to be ATEX certified. For this competition, we want to know how the concept to obtain it looks like, or even better if you have it already.

The Finalists

Anybotics

Hector

mobERT

Roboverse

SiMa

United for Robots
Enthusiasts

How it works

  • Submit your proposal

    Deadline February 22, 2022

    Please use our online submission form and include title, a detailed description of your proposed solution and a high-level plausible project plan. We expect carefully thought through projects rather than ideas. We are also interested in innovative partial solutions

    To learn more about specific challenge conditions download the official rules here.

  • Evaluation of proposals & finalist notification

    Until March 8, 2022

    All submissions will be reviewed by the AIRA team, and six finalist teams will be selected to take part in the competition and the finalist event. Test your solution.

  • Development phase

    March 8 – August 21, 2022

    We will be in regular exchange with you to follow your development and answer your questions.

  • Finalist event and award ceremony

    August 22-26, 2022

    During the ACHEMA the six finalists will be invited to present their solution. Travel, accommodation, and transport will be covered by the sponsor.

Awards

What's in it for you?
Six finalist teams will have the chance to present their solution at the finalist event. The top three receive an award of 40.000€, 20.000€ and 15.000€ respectively. A further 10.000€ is awarded to each remaining finalist.

About AIRA challenges

The challenges of Advanced Industrial Robotic Applications (AIRA) have been identified by a group of five companies (BASF, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck and Wacker) which, under the auspices of NAMUR Interessengemeinschaft Automatisierungstechnik der Prozessindustrie e.V., like to induce new solutions for automate routine tasks in chemical facilities.
The challenge itself, is organized by INVITE GmbH.

Meet the Team

PLANT SERVICE ROBOT

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