Ever seen a real-life Transformers robot? If not, the Swiss-Mile robot is probably as close as you can get. This spin-off of from engineers at ETH Zurich’s Robotic Systems Lab has both legs and wheels to perform a variety of tasks, including mapping, inspection, disaster relief, as well as logistics in urban environments.
It’s based on ETH’s ANYmal quadruped robot and can travel at speeds of up to 13.87 MPH (22.32 km/h) with a payload capacity of up to 110 lb (50 kg). Swiss-Mile utilizes GPS, LiDAR, and cameras to autonomously navigate city streets while avoiding obstacles. On a full charge, the robot boasts a two-hour runtime, making it perfect for deliveries.
Swiss-Mile is extending the capabilities of mobile robots by deploying a hybrid mobility platform that can overcome challenging obstacles like stairs and enable seamless navigation in indoor and outdoor environments. Being able to use both wheels and legs helps robots efficiently adapt to different situations, trading the ability to traverse rough terrain for speed, and likely outperforming wheeled mobile delivery robots or quadrupeds,” said the researchers.
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