ANYmal - ROBOTS: Your Guide to the World of Robotics

ANYmal is a rugged four-legged robot designed for fully-autonomous inspection in harsh industrial environments. Its capable legs allow the robot to go through narrow environments, climb over steps, and navigate steep industrial stairs.
During the COVID pandemic, ANYmal helped deliver Easter chocolate bunnies to ANYbotics employees and their families.
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, culminating in 2016 with first version of ANYmal. ANYbotics was founded that same year to commercialize the technology.
In 2019, after testing out ANYmal in places where humans typically don't want to go (like offshore platforms) as well as places where humans really don't want to go (like sewers), ANYbotics introduced a major upgrade from the previous version. ANYmal C was optimized for ruggedness and reliability in industrial settings, with a streamlined, weather-sealed body and a 50-kilogram chassis rated IP67 that could withstand temporary immersion in water.
Two new models, ANYmal D and ANYmal X, were unveiled in in subsequent years. The new quadrupeds have been optimized even more for ruggedness and reliability in the harshest industrial environments, in addition to broader sensing capabilities.
ANYmal D and X built on ANYmal C by shifting from a capable mobile robot platform to a more complete autonomous inspection system for industrial sites. Like their predecessor, they are designed for rough, complex environments and is IP67-rated for dust and water resistance, but it adds tighter integration of autonomy, sensing, and software. The robots are intended to run routine inspection rounds without human supervision, using large-scale autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, and automatic docking for recharging. A key change is the pan-tilt inspection unit, which combines visual, thermal, and acoustic sensors to monitor equipment condition and detect anomalies. ANYmal D and ANYmal X are delivered with inspection-focused analytics and support services aimed at fitting the robot into existing maintenance workflows, from initial feasibility studies and pilot deployments through to wider rollout at industrial facilities.
Built as the first legged robot at ETH Zurich, ALoF could walk, self-right, and crawl up sand dunes.
Thanks to springs in all joints, StarlETH could run and jump, and served as a durable research platform.
Developed by researchers at ETH Zurich, the first ANYmal robot had modular actuators and lidar-based navigation.
Ruggedized and waterproof, the second generation of ANYmal climbed stairs and performed inspections in the field.
With new actuators and vision system, this was the first ANYmal to be commercialized and deployed offshore.
For the first time, ANYmal C introduced rugged industrial design, powerful actuation, 360° vision, and autonomous docking.
Designed for rugged operation, ANYmal D performed autonomous inspections at industrial facilities.
Certified for use in dangerous environments, this version brought autonomous inspection to oil, gas, and chemicals operations.
Specs for ANYmal Generation D. Rugged design, impact protection, dust and waterproof (IP67 rated), all-weather operation. Expandable modular payload (up to 10 kg) for integration of inspection sensors. Intelligent inspection algorithms for detecting objects, reading the state of meters and surveilling the environment for anomalies (e.g., hotspots and gas leakages). AI-based mobility and autonomy.
anybotics.com/robotics/anymal
20x optical zoom camera for clear long-distance images and 4K videos. Six depth cameras to sense close-range environments and avoid obstacles. 360° lidar with range up to 100 meters for fully autonomous navigation in large scale industrial environments. Two wide angle cameras (front and back) for remote operation. High-range of motion pan-tilt unit. Payload platform for up to 10 kg of additional sensors, including thermal camera, an ultrasonic microphone for frequency analysis, and a powerful LED light for operation in darkness.
Twelve custom series-elastic actuators (ANYdrive) with accurate torque-control provide extended range of motion for maneuvers in complex environments.
Rugged, industrial-grade dust-proof and waterproof design and materials.
Two Intel Core i7 (6-core) CPU with two 8 GB RAM), two 240 GB SSD. Built-in module 2.4/5 GHz, 802.11ac wave2 Access point or client mode Wi-Fi. Add-on module 4G LTE.
Ubuntu Linux OS, custom framework for planning, control, localization, and navigation built on ROS, range of APIs for C++, and Python control applications, Gazebo 3D simulation, ROS Qt user interface.
Swappable lithium-ion battery, UN 38.3 certified 932.4 Wh, with 90 to 120 minutes operation on a full charge. Autonomous recharging via docking station, easy swappable additional battery pack.