Industrial plants are a vital and common asset of modern society
n a various number of ways. Safety of large industrial complexes
hat handle hazardous chemical materials is of utter importance to
revent harm to employees, general population, our natural environment
nd valuable infrastructure. Therefore, beside the plant owner’s
wn financial interest to guarantee faultless and safe operation,
egal regulations have to be adhered due to strong public interest
s well. An important measure to ensure safety is the implementation
f regular inspection tours by maintenance personnel, who examine
he often widely-stretched process infrastructure on foot and locally
earch for signs of beginning leakage. The Research Project RoboGasInspector
as started to develop new means of aiding with the fulfillment of
his essential task. This article gives an insight into this ongoing
esearch project, where autonomous mobile robotics is combined with
aser-based remote gas detection technology in order to create a
roof-of-concept inspection system prototype, which can relieve humans
f this monotonous and highly repetitive work.

Industrial plants are a vital and common asset of modern society in a various number of ways. Safety of large industrial complexes that handle hazardous chemical materials is of utter importance to prevent harm to employees, general population, our natural environment and valuable infrastructure. Therefore, beside the plant owner's own financial interest to guarantee faultless and safe operation, legal regulations have to be adhered due to strong public interest as well. An important measure to ensure safety is the implementation of regular inspection tours by maintenance personnel, who examine the often widely-stretched process infrastructure on foot and locally search for signs of beginning leakage. The Research Project RoboGasInspector was started to develop new means of aiding with the fulfillment of this essential task. This article gives an insight into this ongoing research project, where autonomous mobile robotics is combined with laser-based remote gas detection technology in order to create a proof-of-concept inspection system prototype, which can relieve humans of this monotonous and highly repetitive work.