ANYbotics ANYmal
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Image: ANYbotics ANYmal quadruped robot - See ANYbotics official page
Overview
ANYmal is an industrial autonomous inspection quadruped robot developed at ETH Zurich’s Robotic Systems Lab (RSL) and commercialized through spinoff company ANYbotics founded in 2016. With IP67-rated robust design and autonomous navigation capabilities, it specializes in unmanned inspection tasks in harsh industrial environments such as oil/gas, mining, and power plants.
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | ANYbotics (Switzerland, ETH Zurich spinoff) [Source] |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Use | Industrial facility autonomous inspection |
| Water/Dust Resistance | IP67 [Source] |
| Current Deployment | 200+ units [Source] |
Company Background: ANYbotics
From ETH Zurich to ANYbotics
ANYbotics was founded in 2016 as a spinoff company based on research achievements from ETH Zurich’s Robotic Systems Lab.
Founding Members:
- Marco Hutter (Professor, RSL Director)
- Roland Siegwart (Professor)
- Peter Fankhauser, Christian Gehring, Samuel Bachmann
- Remo Diethelm, Andreas Lauber, Hanspeter Fassler
Research Support:
- NCCR Robotics (Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research)
- ARGOS Challenge
- EU ECHORD++
- ETH Pioneer Fellowship
- Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)
- European Research Council (ERC)
Company Growth (per press releases):
- December 2024: Raised over EUR 127 million total [Source]
- November 2024: San Francisco office established [Source]
- May 2025: Switzerland Global Enterprise export award [Source]
- September 2025: Climate Investment strategic investment [Source]
ANYmal Generational Evolution
ANYmal C (2019~)
ANYmal C is the first commercial version optimized for industrial inspection, providing high availability and stability. [IEEE Spectrum article]
Physical Specifications (per third-party catalog [DirectIndustry]):
| Item | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 930 mm | |
| Width | 530 mm | Basic walking stance |
| Height (walking) | 890 mm | |
| Height (low stance) | 470 mm | |
| Weight | 50 kg | 55 kg with inspection payload |
Computing:
- 2x Intel Core i7 8th Gen (6-core)
- 2x 8 GB RAM
- Handles real-time gait control, mapping, autonomous navigation
ANYmal D (Current Generation)
ANYmal D is the current flagship model providing improved autonomy and mobility. [RobotsGuide details]
Physical Specifications (per third-party sources [RobotsGuide] [Wevolver]):
| Item | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Length | ~800 mm | Varies by posture |
| Width | 400~600 mm | Walking stance basis |
| Height | ~700 mm | Basic walking stance |
| Weight | ~30 kg | Without payload |
| Max Speed | 3.6 km/h (1 m/s) | Omnidirectional movement |
| Payload | 10~15 kg | Varies by configuration |
Actuators [Source]:
- 12 electric series elastic actuators (ANYdrive)
- Max output: 720W (per joint)
- 360-degree joint rotation possible
- IP67 water/dust resistant
- CAN bus independent control
Mobility Capabilities (performance varies by conditions):
| Capability | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Max Slope | ~30 degrees | Varies by ground conditions |
| Stair Angle | Up to 45 degrees | Standard stairs basis |
| Step Height | Up to 35 cm | |
| Obstacle Clearance | Up to 20 cm | |
| Gap Crossing | 25~30 cm | |
| Min Passage Width | 60 cm |
Battery:
- Replaceable lithium-ion battery pack
- Operating time: 2~4 hours (varies by activity)
- Autonomous docking station charging
Computing:
- 3x Intel i7 processors
- For gait control
- For navigation
- For task applications
- EtherCAT communication
- Ubuntu Linux OS
- Custom framework based on ROS
- C++, Python API support
ANYmal X (Upcoming)
ANYmal X is a walking robot in development targeting ATEX Zone 1 certification, designed for operation in explosive atmospheres. [Source]
Features:
- ATEX Zone 1 certification target (for explosive atmospheres)
- Based on ANYmal D design
- Customer delivery scheduled (see ANYbotics official announcements for timing)
- Pilot programs underway with BASF, Equinor, etc. [Source]
Note: Check ANYbotics official channels for exact release schedule and certification status of ANYmal X.
Sensor Systems
Sensor specifications are compiled based on ANYbotics product pages and third-party sources [RobotsGuide] [ANYbotics].
Navigation Sensors
| Sensor | Specification | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| LiDAR | 360-degree | Up to 100m range |
| Depth Cameras | 6 units | For terrain perception |
| Remote Operation Cameras | 2 units | For teleoperation |
| IMU | Built-in | Body and actuators |
Inspection Payload
Optical System:
- 30x zoom camera
- Active LED lighting
- +/- 90 degrees vertical, +/- 165 degrees horizontal pan-tilt
Thermal Imaging:
- Measurement range: -40 to 550 deg C
- Non-contact precision temperature measurement
Acoustic:
- Ultrasonic microphone
- Audible and ultrasonic bands (0~384 kHz)
- For gas leak detection
Gas Detection:
- Gas concentration sensors
- Acoustic imager-based leak detection
Electrical Equipment Diagnostics:
- Partial Discharge event detection
- Electrical equipment anomaly sign monitoring
Autonomous Inspection Capabilities
Autonomous Navigation
ANYmal autonomously plans paths and selects footholds based on sensor data.
Features:
- Real-time environment mapping
- Dynamic path planning
- Obstacle avoidance
- Autonomous stair and ramp navigation
- Automatic docking on low battery
Inspection Automation
Visual Inspection:
- Gauge, display reading
- Equipment status monitoring
- Corrosion/damage detection
Thermal Inspection:
- Early detection of overheating equipment
- Heat distribution pattern analysis
Acoustic Inspection:
- Abnormal vibration detection
- Gas leak acoustic detection
- Bearing wear detection
Gas Inspection:
- CO2 concentration monitoring
- Combustible gas detection
- Leak location tracking
Industrial Applications
Oil and Gas
Key Customers (per Climate Investment press release [Source]):
- BP
- Equinor
- Shell
- TotalEnergies
- Petrobras
- Aramco
- ENI
Equinor Northern Lights CCS Facility [Source]: ANYmal D deployed at carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility in Oygarden, Norway:
- Real-time CO2 concentration monitoring
- Hazardous level alarm generation
- ISPS port perimeter patrol
- Remote unmanned facility inspection
- Reduced unnecessary site visits
Mining
- Underground mine inspection
- Ventilation system monitoring
- Equipment condition checks
Power Plants
- Turbine inspection
- Piping inspection
- Heat exchanger monitoring
Chemical Plants
- Hazardous material handling area inspection
- Leak detection
- Equipment condition monitoring
Offshore Platforms
- Offshore facility inspection
- Operation in harsh marine environments
- Remote unmanned operation
Research Contributions
Key Papers
The ANYmal platform has produced important research results in the field of legged robots.
Learning quadrupedal locomotion over challenging terrain (Science Robotics, 2020)
- Neural network gait controller based on proprioceptive signals
- Robustness verified on unlearned terrains like mud, snow, gravel
- Real-world testing on two generations of ANYmal
Learning agile and dynamic motor skills for legged robots (Science Robotics, 2019)
- Transfer from simulation learning to real robot
- Energy-efficient high-speed running
- Fall recovery from complex poses
Learning robust perceptive locomotion for quadrupedal robots in the wild (Science Robotics, 2022)
- Perception-based walking in outdoor environments
- Real-time terrain adaptation
ANYmal parkour: Learning agile navigation for quadrupedal robots (Science Robotics, 2024)
- Parkour-level agile locomotion
- Complex obstacle course navigation
IEEE Conference Presentations
- IROS 2016: “ANYmal - a highly mobile and dynamic quadrupedal robot”
- ICRA 2018: “Robust rough-terrain locomotion with a quadrupedal robot”
- IEEE RA-L 2020: “Perceptive locomotion in rough terrain-online foothold optimization”
- IROS 2022: “Advanced skills by learning locomotion and local navigation end-to-end”
ANYmal Research Community
ANYmal Research is an international community for advancing legged robot research, providing research platforms and manipulation payloads.
2025 ICRA Presentation:
- ANYmal Research Manipulation Payload launch
- Developed in collaboration with Duatic (ETH Zurich spinoff)
- NVIDIA Jetson GPU equipped
- Onboard AI model and real-time perception algorithm execution
Technical Specifications Summary
Note: Values below are based on publicly available materials; actual performance may vary by configuration, payload, and environmental conditions. See ANYbotics official spec sheet for accurate specifications.
| Item | ANYmal C | ANYmal D |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | ~50 kg | ~30 kg |
| Payload | Up to 10 kg | 10-15 kg |
| Battery | ~2 hours | 2-4 hours |
| Water/Dust | IP67 | IP67 |
| CPU | 2x i7 6-core | 3x i7 |
| Actuators | 12 SEA | 12 SEA (720W) |
| Max Slope | ~20 degrees | ~30 degrees |
| Stairs | Up to 45 degrees | Up to 45 degrees |
| Step Height | Up to 35 cm | Up to 35 cm |
Key Significance
-
Pioneer in Industrial Inspection Robots: ANYmal is a representative case of successful transition from academic research to commercial product, pioneering the autonomous inspection robot market in harsh industrial environments.
-
Demonstration of Learning-Based Gait Control: Successfully transferred policies learned in simulation to real robots, achieving robust walking on complex terrain.
-
IP67 Industrial-Grade Design: Through water/dust resistant design and ATEX certification pursuit (ANYmal X), targets operation in the harshest industrial sites including explosive atmospheres.
-
Economics of Autonomous Inspection: Achieved both operational cost reduction and safety improvement through 24/7 unmanned operation, remote hazardous area inspection, and early anomaly detection.
-
Research-Industry Connection Model: Academic research from ETH Zurich commercialized through ANYbotics, contributing back to research community through ANYmal Research community - establishing a virtuous cycle ecosystem.
References
Official Materials
- ANYbotics Official Website
- ANYmal Product Page
- ETH Zurich RSL ANYmal Page
- ANYbotics - ETH Zurich Spinoff
- ANYmal Research Community
Academic Papers
- Learning quadrupedal locomotion over challenging terrain - Science Robotics
- Learning agile and dynamic motor skills for legged robots - Science Robotics
- Learning robust perceptive locomotion for quadrupedal robots in the wild - Science Robotics
News and Cases
- ANYmal deployed at Northern Lights CCS Facility
- Climate Investment backs ANYbotics
- ANYbotics ICRA 2025 ANYmal Research Launch
- Robot dog ANYmal gains momentum - SNF
- ANYbotics Secures Over EUR 127 Million
See Also
- Hardware List
- [[Boston Dynamics Spot]]
- [[Unitree Robots]]
- [[Legged Robot Control]]