ANYbotics ANYmal Advances Teleoperated Inspections in Harsh Environments

Legged Robots Tackle Industrial Risks

Humanoid robotics faces challenges in real-time full-body motion imitation, balance, and manipulation within human-centric spaces. ANYbotics, the Swiss robotics firm, recently demonstrated its ANYmal quadruped robot's enhanced teleoperation and manipulation capabilities at ICRA 2025, showcasing full-body coordination for remote inspection tasks in complex industrial settings. Over 200 ANYmal units now operate worldwide in heavy industry, reducing human exposure to dangerous environments like those with stairs, corrosion, and poor connectivity.

Full-Body Coordination Stands Out

ANYmal differentiates through real-time imitation fidelity, natural interaction during teleoperation, and seamless full-body coordination not reliant on pre-programmed libraries. These features enable precise balance and manipulation in dynamic terrains, surpassing rigid motion systems. ANYmal redefines teleoperation as a bridge between human intent and robotic execution in unpredictable spaces.

Motion Pipeline Unpacked

Human motion input from operators feeds into AI models for processing, which generate joint actuations with real-time balance corrections for stability on uneven surfaces. The system's open architecture integrates perception from 360-degree LiDAR, depth cameras, and modular payloads like arms for manipulation. This flow supports autonomous navigation alongside teleoperated control, adapting to industrial constraints.

Remote Plant Patrols

In energy processing plants, ANYmal conducts routine inspections via teleoperation, climbing stairs and navigating dusty areas to perform visual, thermal, and acoustic checks without halting production. Operators use rugged tablets for remote control, docking for self-charging, and integration with enterprise data for anomaly detection, boosting uptime by up to 1.5% in reported cases. This assisted service minimizes downtime while keeping humans safely looped in.