Robotics

Anymal quadruped robot can now use an elevator

Anymal quadruped robot can now use an elevator
Anymal is a quadrupedal robot that can now use an elevator, meaning there is nowhere to run if it turns on its human owners
Anymal is a quadrupedal robot that can now use an elevator, meaning there is nowhere to run if it turns on its human owners
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Children petting Anymal
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Children petting Anymal
Anymal will soon be available to buy
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Anymal will soon be available to buy
It can be used for a variety of industrial tasks
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It can be used for a variety of industrial tasks
The robot can climb stairs so cross that off as an escape route when they turn evil and start chasing people
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The robot can climb stairs so cross that off as an escape route when they turn evil and start chasing people
The robot is fitted with a variety of sensors allowing for autonomous navigation
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The robot is fitted with a variety of sensors allowing for autonomous navigation
It can run for between two and four hours on a single battery charge
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It can run for between two and four hours on a single battery charge
Anymal weighs around 30 kg
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Anymal weighs around 30 kg
And has a carrying capacity of around 10 kg
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And has a carrying capacity of around 10 kg
Building surveillance is being suggested as a possible use
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Building surveillance is being suggested as a possible use
Anymal can move as fast as a brisk walking human
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Anymal can move as fast as a brisk walking human
No price has been announced but this will not be a cheap item
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No price has been announced but this will not be a cheap item
Anymal is not exactly like a robot dog
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Anymal is not exactly like a robot dog
Anymal could be used to monitor for gas leaks on mining sites
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Anymal could be used to monitor for gas leaks on mining sites
It also is being touted for entertainment uses at theme parks for example
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It also is being touted for entertainment uses at theme parks for example
Anymal cannot run... yet
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Anymal cannot run... yet
An earlier iteration of Anymal
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An earlier iteration of  Anymal
It can navigate almost any kind of territory
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It can navigate almost any kind of territory
Anymal is a quadrupedal robot that can now use an elevator, meaning there is nowhere to run if it turns on its human owners
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Anymal is a quadrupedal robot that can now use an elevator, meaning there is nowhere to run if it turns on its human owners
View gallery - 18 images

Maybe it's the way they bound around like mechanical dog skeletons, but there's something inherently discomforting about quadruped robots. Regardless, these four-legged robots have evolved stunningly fast over the last few years and are set to become more commonplace, particularly in industrial settings. One example is Anymal, a quadrupedal robot birthed a few years ago at ETH Zurich that is soon to be available commercially and no longer needs human assistance when riding an elevator.

Not dissimilar to the impressive, and infamous, "Big Dog" from Boston Dynamics, Anymal is a smaller, multi-purpose robot that has been specifically designed for commercial and industrial applications. The bot is being advertised as good for uses on dangerous sites, such as oil and gas platforms or mines, as well as being functional as a basic security surveillance device.

Anymal could be used to monitor for gas leaks on mining sites
Anymal could be used to monitor for gas leaks on mining sites

Anymal isn't the smallest quadruped robot we've seen, but it is one of the most commercially-ready bots to date. Weighing around 30 kg (66 lb) and able to carry around 10 kg (22 lb), Anymal can move at a speed equivalent to that of a briskly walking human, and can operate for between two and four hours on a single battery charge, depending on its activity.

It's a nifty little robot that is packed with a variety of sensors allowing it to autonomously navigate through different industrial sites. The bot isn't available just yet, and a specific price hasn't been officially announced. But for comparison, the marginally smaller Ghost Minitaur currently sells for around US$11,500, so these hi-tech robo-helpers don't come cheap.

The latest video to show off the Anymal demonstrates it using an elevator. So for future nightmare-inducing reference, when you're being chased by one of these things, remember it can now follow you virtually anywhere, including between the floors of a skyscraper. There is nowhere to hide.

ANYmal Using an Elevator

Source: Anybotics

View gallery - 18 images
2 comments
2 comments
Username
Different reactions from different people. Personally I find them adorable.
CharlieSeattle
A child's clothing or hair can easily get tangled in the moving parts. I will disable any such roving electric critter I see as a hazard.