Boston Dynamics’ robot dog “Spot” has become somewhat of an internet sensation, no doubt thanks to its (perhaps disturbingly) killer dance moves or displays of super-strength.
But Spot is far from the only robodog on the block. One of its competitors is ANYmal, an autonomous quadruped that’s impressively good at everything from parkour to climbing ladders.
Apart from doing tricks, ANYmal also has a real job. It does routine inspections in some of the toughest places on Earth. Think old nuclear power plants, abandoned mines, and offshore oil rigs.
Cameras, sensors and gas detectors act as the robodog’s eyes and nose — spotting obstacles, and potential safety hazards, and even sniffing out gas leaks. With its AI “brain,” it plans safe paths and knows where it’s been.
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ANYmal is so good at its job, that some of the world’s biggest industrial companies — the likes of BP, Equinor, and Petrobas — have adopted it as part of their workforce.
ANYmal’s human master is ANYbotics, a company spun out from ETH Zurich in 2016. The startup has just raised $60mn to build more inspection robots and make them smarter.
Currently, close to 200 ANYmal’s are deployed at worksites across the world. As of last year, the company reported having more than $150mn in pre-orders.
“This additional funding allows us to scale globally, enhance our AI-driven capabilities, and continue to deliver unmatched value to our customers across industries,” said Dr. Péter Fankhauser, the company’s co-founder and CEO.
ANYbotics recently opened an office in Silicon Valley to tackle the American market. This will put it into closer competition with Spot, which also does its fair share of industrial inspections.
The company said it is investing in software and hardware development, including new, built-in GPUs intended to make ANYmal faster at processing information, detecting anomalies and overall making it better at its job. ANYbotics trains its robot using AI computing from Nvidia.
This latest funding brings ANYbotics’ total raised to over $130mn. The round was led by Qualcomm Ventures and Supernova Invest, with participation from TDK Ventures and other new investors.
