Square Robots brings in $5M for tank inspection robots

Listen to this article

Square Robots, which creates submarine-like robots that inspect tanks used in the oil and gas industry, has brought in $5 million in funding. The company will use the funding to continue developing and deploying its inspection robots, and, in particular, to increase its fleet of robots from seven to 11, according to Hart Energy. 

Square Robots is driven by a desire to eliminate the need to put people into dangerous, enclosed spaces and to prevent having to take tanks out of service. Its robot, SR-1, is equipped with an internal autonomy engine that integrates guidance plans, navigation data, and a dynamic control system to execute autonomous inspections. 

When inspecting a tank, the robot uses its sediment removal system to clear sediment on the bottom of tanks before scanning the dank with its Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) array. The PAUT array then scans tank bottoms for thickness measurements and collects 18,000 A-Scans for every 1 sqft it covers. This data is reviewed in real-time by Square Robots’ operators to ensure data capture and quality. 

The robots can be contracted, along with an accompanying three-person crew, to inspect above-ground tanks containing oil, diesel, jet fuel, gasoline, ethanol, water, and other liquids. 

The investment came from Crosstown Capital LP, according to reporting from Hart Energy. With the funding, Crosstown Capital managing partner Milton Lovell will gain a seat on the Square Robot board. 

Brian Kinsey, Square Robot’s chief growth officer, told Hart Energy that the company’s goal is to build a fleet of over 100 robots within the next five to ten years. 

Square Robot was founded in 2016 and is based in Boston, MA.