{"id":148,"date":"2018-12-28T00:30:03","date_gmt":"2018-12-28T00:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/surfshields.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/28\/watch-the-anymal-quadrupedal-robot-go-for-an-adventure-in-the-sewers-of-zurich\/"},"modified":"2018-12-28T00:30:03","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T00:30:03","slug":"watch-the-anymal-quadrupedal-robot-go-for-an-adventure-in-the-sewers-of-zurich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/surfshields.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/28\/watch-the-anymal-quadrupedal-robot-go-for-an-adventure-in-the-sewers-of-zurich\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch the ANYmal quadrupedal robot go for an adventure in the sewers of Zurich"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

There\u2019s a lot of talk about the many potential uses of multi-legged robots like Cheetahbot and Spot \u2014 but in order for those to come to fruition, the robots actually have to go out and do<\/em> stuff. And to train for a glorious future of sewer inspection (and helping rescue people, probably), this Swiss quadrupedal bot is going deep underground<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

ETH Zurich \/ Daniel Winkler<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The robot is called ANYmal<\/a>, and it\u2019s a long-term collaboration between the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology<\/span>, abbreviated there as ETH Zurich, and a spin-off from the university called ANYbotics<\/a>. Its latest escapade was a trip to the sewers below that city, where it could eventually aid or replace the manual inspection process.<\/p>\n

ANYmal isn\u2019t brand new \u2014 like most robot platforms, it\u2019s been under constant revision for years. But it\u2019s only recently that cameras and sensors like lidar have gotten good enough and small enough that real-world testing in a dark, slimy place like sewer pipes could be considered.<\/p>\n

Most cities have miles and miles of underground infrastructure that can only be checked by expert inspectors. This is dangerous and tedious work \u2014 perfect for automation. Imagine instead of yearly inspections by people, if robots were swinging by once a week. If anything looks off, it calls in the humans. It could also enter areas rendered inaccessible by disasters or simply too small for people to navigate safely.<\/p>\n

But of course, before an army of robots can inhabit our sewers (where have I encountered this concept before? Oh yeah\u2026<\/a>) the robot needs to experience and learn about that environment. First outings will be only minimally autonomous, with more independence added as the robot and team gain confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because something works in the lab doesn\u2019t always mean it will in the real world,\u201d explained ANYbotics co-founder Peter Fankhauser in the ETHZ story.<\/p>\n

Testing the robot\u2019s sensors and skills in a real-world scenario provides new insights and tons of data for the engineers to work with. For instance, when the environment is completely dark, laser-based imaging may work, but what if there\u2019s a lot of water, steam or smoke? ANYmal should also be able to feel its surroundings, its creators decided.<\/p>\n

\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

ETH Zurich \/ Daniel Winkler<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

So they tested both sensor-equipped feet (with mixed success) and the possibility of ANYmal raising its \u201cpaw\u201d to touch a wall, to find a button or determine temperature or texture. This latter action had to be manually improvised by the pilots, but clearly it\u2019s something it should be able to do on its own. Add it to the list!<\/p>\n

You can watch \u201cInspector ANYmal\u2019s\u201d trip below Zurich in the video below.<\/p>\n