Leading Hazardous Space
Robotics - from India to the World

Unibose Technology designs and manufactures ATEX Zone-0 certified no-man-entry robotic systems for cleaning hazardous confined spaces inside crude oil, fuel oil, chemical, and acid storage tanks. The company eliminates human entry into explosive and toxic environments, reduces operational downtime, and ensures Zero Life Loss during industrial tank maintenance.

Human entry in tanks for cleaning persist in heavy industry despite the high risk of human fatality because for decades the industry has accepted a dangerous trade-off: compromising human safety to achieve operational cleanliness. This persistence exists because early robotic solutions were too bulky, expensive, or incapable of navigating complex tank geometries. Facility managers often default to manual crews simply because of a lack of awareness that “No-Man Entry” robotics have evolved to safely handle Zone 0 hazardous zones. Unibose bridges this gap by offering a solution that requires no capital expenditure (via RaaS) and eliminates the need for human entry, effectively removing the “risk premium” from maintenance budgets.

Sludge is not merely a cleaning issue; it acts as a capacity and efficiency thief within industrial storage systems. Accumulated sludge reduces the available storage volume of tanks and can contaminate new batches of product, leading to expensive rework or disposal costs. Furthermore, traditional manual cleaning necessitates lengthy shutdowns, extensive venting periods, and complex safety permitting that halts production for days. By delaying maintenance due to the logistical complexity of manual entry, these financial losses are compounded. Robotic solutions can often operate with significantly reduced downtime, reclaiming lost capacity and revenue faster than manual alternatives.

Yes. While many robotic systems act merely as vacuums that clog easily, the Unibose system features a robust front-mounted auger and sludge cutter mechanism. This system physically breaks down solidified, dense sludge and cake-like deposits that typically require manual chipping. Once broken down, the system pumps the waste out through a high-capacity onboard pump/vacuum setup. This capability is critical for crude oil and heavy chemical tanks where sludge hardens over time, allowing for extraction without introducing massive amounts of water that would subsequently require expensive treatment.

ATEX Zone-0 is the most stringent safety certification for equipment used in explosive atmospheres, signifying that the robot is safe to operate in areas where explosive gas, vapor, or mist is present continuously. Many “industrial” robots are only rated for Zone-1 or Zone-2 (intermittent danger). Unibose provides Asia’s first Zone-0 certified robot, meaning operation is intrinsically safe within live tanks containing highly volatile substances (like petrol or chemicals) without the risk of sparking an explosion. This allows for cleaning highly hazardous environments without sending a human worker into the dangerous atmosphere.

The most significant barrier to adopting advanced robotics in heavy industry is the high upfront capital expenditure (CapEx). Many facilities hesitate to purchase a specialized robot that might only be utilized once a year. Unibose resolves this challenge through a RaaS model, where payment is based on the outcome (a clean tank) rather than the acquisition of the asset. This approach democratizes access to high-end safety technology for smaller players and allows major enterprises to treat cleaning as an operational expense (OpEx). It ensures immediate ROI and faster market penetration, bypassing the long procurement cycles typical of industrial hardware.

Recognizing that many established industrial cleaning companies possess client relationships but lack modern technology, Unibose operates an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) model. This program supplies certified robotic platforms to service providers, enabling an upgrade from manual labor crews to tech-enabled robotic squads. By partnering with Unibose, service providers improve safety compliance ratings and gain the ability to bid for higher-value contracts that mandate “No-Man Entry” execution, effectively future-proofing the service business against changing safety regulations.

Human crews working in dark tanks with limited lighting often miss critical defects during cleaning. Unibose robots come equipped with ATEX-certified cameras and high-intensity LED lighting systems that provide high-definition, real-time video feeds to the operator outside. This solves the “visibility gap” by facilitating simultaneous cleaning and inspection. Operators receive a clear visual record of the tank floor’s condition, revealing corrosion, pitting, or cracks that would otherwise go unnoticed until a leak occurred. This capability turns a routine cleaning job into a valuable predictive maintenance asset.

While the technology’s roots are in the rigorous Oil & Gas sector, the core capabilities of sludge removal and confined space navigation are industry-agnostic. The robots are equally effective in Chemical Processing (handling toxic residues), Power Generation (cleaning cooling tower basins), Wastewater Treatment (ETP/STP sludge removal), and the Food & Beverage industry (ensuring hygiene in massive storage vats). Any industry facing the combination of sludge accumulation and confined space hazards is a candidate for Unibose, making the addressable market significantly larger than just the petroleum sector.

The vision is to make “Man Entry” into confined spaces a historic obsolescence, similar to the removal of humans from blast furnace operations. The industry is moving beyond just “remote control” toward semi-autonomous and fully autonomous cleaning cycles using AI for sludge detection and path planning. By continuously refining robot geometry, sensory capabilities, and extraction efficiency, the aim is to set a new global standard where human presence is restricted to the control room, not the hazard zone. Unibose provides not just robots, but the certainty that every worker remains safe.