ANYmal

ANYmal is a rugged, autonomous four-legged robot designed for inspection and manipulation tasks. It uses sensors to scan the terrain and avoid obstacles, and can operate in rain, snow, wind, waterlogged rooms, and dusty environments.

Creators

ETH Zurich and ANYbotics

Year

2016

Country

Switzerland 🇨🇭

Categories

Features

ANYmal inspects an offshore energy facility in the North Sea. Video: ANYbotics

Did you know?

ANYmal was in a 2018 episode of the TV show The X-Files.

A large four legged black robot stands in front of a building that is on fire. — The robot can handle fire. Photo: ANYbotics

A black and yellow four legged black robot stands on piles of rubble. — Rubble is no problem for ANYmal. Photo: ANYbotics

History

ANYbotics, headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, traces its origins to ETH Zurich, where in 2009 a group of researchers built the first of what would be a long series of quadruped robots. ANYbotics was founded in 2016 to commercialize this technology.

A black four legged robots navigates going down several stairs as water rushes down them. — ANYmal can operate in water conditions. Photo: ANYbotics

The robot stands on a snowy surface. — Neither rain or snow could stop ANYmal. Photo: ANYbotics

More Images

A running woman and man with a flashlight in a dark blue and red lit building. The robot is behind them. — ANYmal has played a part in an episode of The X-Files. Photo: Shane Harvey/FOX

Specs

Overview: Able to run dynamically and safely climb over obstacles and stairs. Equipped with foothold selection based on online terrain mapping. Payload of up to 10 kilograms. Accessories include environmental sensors and manipulators. Ruggedized design and fully waterproof and dustproof (IP67). Actuator design allows full rotation of the legs for climbing, and change of leg configuration allows to crawl through tight spaces.
Status: Ongoing
Year: 2016
Website: anybotics.com/anymal
Width: 40 cm
Height: 70 cm
Length: 80 cm
Weight: 30 kg
Speed: 3.6 km/h
Sensors: Position and torque sensing in all joints. Inertial measurement unit (IMU) in torso and all actuators. Stereo camera for terrain perception. Lidar for navigation. Microphone. Temperature sensors. Optional sensor head: 30x zoom camera with active light, thermal camera, ultrasound microphone, and gas sensor.
Actuators: 12 electric series elastic actuators (ANYdrive), with a peak power of 720 watts and robust against impact, water and dust. Hollow-shaft for maximal range of motion. Fully integrated controllers with high-frequency control of the joints with communication over EtherCAT.
Degrees of Freedom (DoF): 12
Materials: Carbon fiber, aluminum, foam protectors, 3D-printed parts
Compute: Three Intel i7 dual-core processors. One processor for real-time locomotion control, one processor for navigation, and one processor for task-specific application software (e.g. inspection). Custom controller for each joint (integrated in ANYdrive).
Software: Ubuntu Linux OS, custom framework for planning, control, localization, and navigation built on ROS, range of APIs for C++, and Python control applications.
Power: Swappable lithium-ion battery pack, 2 to 4 hours of operation