The ARGOS robotics challenge: 5 international teams selected

The aim of the ARGOS challenge is to design the first autonomous surface robot for use on hydrocarbon production sites. Thought up and funded by Total, the call for proposals was organised by ANR. Five projects have been selected further to the evaluation phase which mobilised a large number of peer reviewers. The five international teams are now going to face one another in three successive competitions. They have less than three years in which to create a robot capable of performing inspection tasks, detecting anomalies and intervening in emergency situations.

The aim of the ARGOS challenge is to develop robots capable of operating on hydrocarbon production sites on land or at sea. These robots will not only enhance operator safety but also optimise operations on these highly specific industrial facilities. Relying on ANR's experience in this area, Total asked ANR to organise the call for proposals and manage the team evaluation and selection process.

Out of the 31 project proposals submitted, five have been selected after a peer evaluation process based on assessments by independent peer reviewers and the work of a dedicated panel. The projects were evaluated above all on criteria of scientific excellence. The steering committee, comprising qualified prominent figures from academic, industrial and institutional spheres, and staff from Total, selected the five projects that will be funded by the company on the basis of the evaluation panel's work.

The selected teams come from Austria, Spain, France, Japan and Switzerland, bearing witness to the international appeal of the programme. Unlike the conventional calls launched by ANR, Total will fund the French and foreign partners alike. The chosen teams will receive up to €600 k funding from Total. As of summer 2015, three competitions will be organised in succession with the teams to test the different modes of robot functioning.

The teams will thus undergo different types of assessment: oral presentation, submission of a technical file and trials on an industrial site. The assessments will be dynamic and the criteria will change - in both specificity and difficulty - throughout the challenge.

Three locomotion systems will be represented for the robotics solutions: wheels, tracks and legs. The targeted high level of robot autonomy will allow their deployment in numerous site and usage configurations.

Find out more:

Consult the list of funded projects

The challenge competition instrument: Stimulating creativity The aim of this ANR instrument is to encourage several teams of researchers to work simultaneously on the same given subject. It is a way of stimulating creativity and encouraging researchers to compare their ideas, their approaches and their work. The idea is ultimately to promote the establishing of benchmarks and standards to allow comparisons of scientific work.

Photo: Pascal Laurent - Total

Last updated on 21 March 2019