English 
Kibitec Co., Ltd., Daicel Corporation, and Kushinada Kiko Co., Ltd. have announced plans to begin demonstration testing of a next-generation chemical plant inspection system at Daicel’s Aboshi Plant starting December 2025. The initiative builds on joint research conducted since 2022 focused on enhancing five-sense inspections and enabling remote operation for work-from-home scenarios.
Chemical plant inspections traditionally rely on human senses, sight, smell, and touch, to monitor equipment condition. The new system combines Kibitec’s remote-control technology with Kushinada Kiko’s advanced visual recognition sensors and cameras to replicate human sensory functions through a mobile robot. The system autonomously acquires and analyzes inspection data, aiming to enhance the accuracy of routine inspections and maintenance while enabling remote operation, improving worker safety, and supporting employment for individuals with disabilities and senior technicians.
The mobile robot features a lightweight, compact design capable of operating on a stainless-steel pipe-shaped rail above equipment. It is explosion-proof and equipped with a visible light camera, thermal camera, and microphone to gather comprehensive inspection data. Machine learning-based analysis processes visual, auditory, and vibration information to detect abnormalities in real time. Remote control functionality is enabled via Kibitec’s Highly Autonomous Teleoperation Service (HATS), while Kushinada Kiko’s inference processing unit analyzes collected data and alerts remote operators to anomalies.
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The demonstration tests will start by focusing on some processes at Daicel’s commercial plant. This includes slurry production. The goal is to confirm how well the system works in real industrial settings. This initiative is a big step. It aims to automate inspections. This will boost safety and use robots in future chemical plant operations.
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