Why Soracom
Strong, Secure Connectivity Almost Everywhere
The EX ROVR ASCENT was created to be both remotely piloted and act autonomously. This would require designers to build a system where communications could be switched between the robot and the teleoperation terminal for remote control, and between the robot and the server for autonomous operation. Yet the considerable expense and time involved in the architecture of such a system led Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to shift toward architecture built around AWS – where similar functions and services were readily available.
Because MHI’s Equipment Design Section was the first group within the company to use cloud computing resources, there was some uncertainty around how best to process and store data. The designers sought a partner that could help process and store data, while also enabling remote access to deployed robots. Beyond that, the potentially sensitive nature of the data recorded from oil, gas, and nuclear plants put security at the forefront of these considerations.
In Soracom, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has found a partner that not only provides secure and reliable connectivity to devices in the field but one with a support structure dedicated to helping them grow and scale their IoT operation.
Though the Soracom platform is largely built with developers in mind, the company also offers support services designed to help companies new to the space build a better product. Soracom’s IoT experts were instrumental in the early design stages, helping to create a unique architecture for the EX ROVR ASCENT that addresses all of its operational challenges.
In addition to Soracom’s Air service providing connectivity for the robots, MHI also utilizes Soracom Gate, a private LAN tool, to ensure secure bi-directional connections between the deployed devices and a remote control terminal. To help enable the transmission of telemetrics to their AWS cloud, MHI also deploys Soracom’s Funk and Beam services for secure routing and protocol conversion, respectively. Furthermore, Soracom’s IoT SIMs themselves help authenticate and authorize the robots to communicate with MHI’s cloud securely.
To further enhance the stability of their installations, MHI also utilizes Soracom’s on-demand remote access solution, Napter, which enables the team to perform maintenance, troubleshooting, and other necessary support processes from the remote control terminal. More recently, MHI has deployed Soracom Arc, which allows their devices to securely connect to the Soracom platform using virtually any available connectivity technology, granting them an added layer of security against unplanned downtime.

“We chose Soracom because their wide service area covered all of the countries where we planned to deploy the system, confidential information could be securely communicated through a closed network, and we could rely on extensive support,” said Naoki Mizuno, of MHI’s Equipment Design Section. “It is very reassuring to have a partner that so thoroughly understands the innermost workings of the EX ROVR ASCENT, and gives us appropriate advice.”
That support structure was key in the Ex ROVR ASCENT being completed within its forecast window and remains a vital part of MHI’s ongoing deployment of these robots.
“By using SORACOM to handle all communication between the robot, remote control terminal, and AWS, we can organize the system structure and reduce the burden of maintenance,” said Mizuno. “I feel that this is a considerable advantage.”