Data centers began to use robots to inspect equipment 24/7

2024: The beginning of the mass use of robots in data centers

On December 16, 2024, NTT Data announced the start of mass use in its data centers (data centers) of specialized robots called Ugo Mini. These machines are designed to inspect server equipment around the clock.

It is noted that in the long term, society will face a decrease in the birth rate, aging and population decline. This will exacerbate the problem of labor shortages. Under such conditions, there is a growing need to use robotics to improve safety and operational efficiency in various areas, including the data center segment.

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Фото: ugo.plus

The Ugo Mini robot is made on a wheeled platform and is equipped with a telescopic tower with a built-in camera. This "periscope" can be extended to a height of 182 cm, which allows you to monitor equipment at all levels of server racks. The machine is suitable for use in limited spaces, for example, in narrow passages of data centers. The equipment of the robot includes a lidar, an ultrasonic sensor and an environmental sensor. Ugo Mini can be used to remove certain indicators or identify possible problems, for example, abnormal temperature rise.

The automated inspector is able to transmit data via cellular communication 4G/5G. The claimed battery life on a single battery charge reaches three hours, and it takes about two hours to replenish the energy reserve. The robot is capable of moving at speeds up to 3.6 km/h. NTT Data plans to use the Ugo Mini in 15 data centers throughout Japan. The implementation of these machines will reduce the burden on data center personnel, as well as increase the efficiency of inspection work due to operation in 24/7 mode.^[1]

2022: Robot testing

On November 30, 2022, the Japanese corporation NTT DATA announced successful tests of a specialized robot designed to monitor the condition of equipment in data centers (data centers).

The automated inspector was developed by Ugo. The robot is a torso with a head mounted on a mast, which in turn is mounted on a motorized base. The equipment includes sensors for determining temperature and humidity in the room, an air substance analyzer, a thermal imaging camera, a microphone and a 4K format camera. There are two manipulator arms for performing basic operations. Moving around the data center, the machine records changes that may indicate problems and failures in the operation of server equipment. To do this, the illumination of signal indicators is recorded, temperature jumps are recorded, or, for example, the appearance of a burning smell is determined.

Robots began to move around data centers to identify problems with equipment

NTT DATA tested Ugo at its Shinagawa data center in Tokyo between August and November 2022. The robot allowed to reduce the load on personnel for 1-2 hours a day and provided the possibility of remote monitoring of equipment in the data center. The tests have yielded positive results, and the company now intends to commercialize the decision: robot inspectors are expected to appear in 15 NTT DATA data centers across Japan. The results of the experiment were positive, and the company now intends to begin practical implementation of robots in April 2023.

We will continue to roll out robots to our data centers across the country from April 2023. We aim to reduce inspection time by up to 80% by implementing automation. The development of artificial intelligence is necessary to create really useful and "smart" robots. The economics of robots, like all other innovative technologies, is to increase labor productivity. That is, automation is not an end in itself, but a tool for improving economic efficiency, NTT DATA said in a statement.

Other companies are also introducing robots in data centers. Back in 2020, Switch announced that it intends to use Sentry Robots automated inspectors. Utah-based Novva has taken a simpler approach - instead of developing its own machines, it uses Boston Dynamics Spot robots. In addition, the automation of data center monitoring is being worked out by the Chinese Huawei and Alibaba, as well as the South Korean Naver.^[2]

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