ANYbotics boosts autonomous mobile robots with Velodyne LiDAR sensors

ANYbotics is equipping its autonomous mobile robots with Velodyne’s Puck™ lidar sensors. ANYbotics robots provide industrial operators with an automated robotic inspection solution to support efforts in monitoring and maintaining plants.

ANYbotics’ four-legged robot ANYmal performs inspection and monitoring tasks in challenging industrial terrains such as mining and minerals, oil and gas, chemicals, energy and construction. ANYmal’s legs provide unparalleled mobility when moving up and down stairs, climbing over obstacles, steps and gaps, and crawling into tight spaces.

ANYmal’s inspection payload provides visual, thermal and acoustic insights for condition monitoring of equipment and infrastructure. Equipped with Velodyne’s Puck sensors, the ANYbotics robotic inspection solution is able to map industrial environments to detect obstacles and allow ANYmal to avoid any collisions while navigating harsh environments with a higher level of accuracy.

“Velodyne’s lidar sensors provide ANYmal with a constant stream of high-resolution, 3D information about its surroundings, helping the robot safely map and patrol complex and harsh environments,” said Daniel Lopez Madrid, Team Lead Perception at ANYbotics. “The sensors enable precise localization and mapping capabilities our robots need to understand the physical environment they are operating in and any changes such as moving people and objects.”

“ANYbotics robotic solutions excel at automating industrial inspections that provide plant operators information to maximize equipment uptime and improve safety,” said Erich Smidt, Executive Director Europe, Velodyne Lidar. “By using Velodyne’s lidar, their robots can autonomously navigate complex multi-story environments and find the quickest route to perform missions. During operation, the robot’s system can safely avoid obstacles and reliably move over rough terrain.”

Velodyne’s lidar sensors are important ingredients in robotic autonomy and navigation. They allow mobile robots to extend outside controlled situations with pre-defined tasks and function in unfamiliar and unpredictable settings. Velodyne’s sensors provide real-time 3D perception data for localization, mapping, object classification and object tracking.

Combining high-resolution image data with a broad vertical field of view, the sensors detect the shape of even low reflectivity objects regardless of their material and movement. This perception capability is critical for advancing safe and effective mobile robot operation.