AFI Robotics, a Saudi robotic engineering firm, is redefining safety in some of the most hazardous industrial environments by deploying robotic systems designed specifically for confined, toxic, and high-risk areas.
These systems are transforming how aboveground storage tanks, oily ponds, sludge basins, and pits are inspected and cleaned, dramatically reducing the need for human entry into dangerous spaces.
Central to AFI’s safety-first approach is a submersible inspection robot that performs ultrasonic thickness testing while tanks remain online.
Aligned with API 653 and RP 575 standards, the robot provides real-time data on tank floor integrity, enabling predictive maintenance and significantly reducing both downtime and worker exposure to high-risk conditions.
In environments where sludge poses serious health and operational risks, AFI’s robotic desludging system can remove up to 150 cubic metres per hour while mapping sludge volumes.
The real-time visualisation allows operators to assess progress from a safe distance, avoiding the need for manual entry and the dangers of toxic fumes or structural collapse.
The company also offers AI-driven visual inspection platforms equipped with cameras and automated defect recognition.
Safeguarding workers
These tools are designed for flammable and contaminated zones, enabling remote operators to detect cracks, corrosion, and other anomalies without ever entering the hazardous area.
All of AFI’s solutions are designed to improve safety metrics while maintaining operational continuity. With proven deployments across petrochemical sites and manufacturing hubs, the technology is making confined space entry (and the risks that come with it) an increasingly unnecessary part of industrial maintenance.
AFI Robotics is a Saudi-based engineering company that specialises in robotic inspection and cleaning technologies for industrial environments.
Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Al Khobar, the company designs and deploys advanced robotic systems for in-service tank inspections, sludge removal, and visual assessments in high-risk areas.
In 2022, the company entered a formal joint venture with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Intelligent Manufacturing and Robotics.
It has also received the university’s Vision to Venture Award in recognition of its contributions to industrial robotics research.
“Our mission has always been to engineer solutions that remove risk without removing operational continuity,” says Rabieh Ghossainy, founder and managing director of AFI Robotics. “Whether it's storage tank inspections or pit desludging, we build systems that keep operations in service, without compromise.”
“Saudi Arabia is not just adopting advanced industrial technologies, we're engineering them,” said Talal Al Hamdan, chairman of AFI Robotics, and prominent Saudi entrepreneur and businessman in manufacturing, marine, and high technology solutions inclusive of logistics under ASH Group. “At AFI Robotics, we're proving that homegrown innovation can lead standards in safety, efficiency, and operational resilience. Our robotics are designed for the region, tested in the region, and ready to transform how critical infrastructure is managed on an industry level.”
