Boston Dynamics' robot dog Spot has become something of an internet sensation, no doubt thanks to its (perhaps disturbing) killer Dance moves or demonstrations of super strength.
But Spot is far from the only Robodog on the block. One of its competitors is ANYmal, an autonomous quadruped that is impressively good at everything from parkour to Climbing ladders.
Aside from doing tricks, ANYmal also has a real job. It carries out routine inspections in some of the harshest places on earth. Think old Nuclear power plantsabandoned mines and offshore oil platforms.
Cameras, sensors and gas detectors act as the Robodog's eyes and nose – detecting obstacles and potential safety risks and even detecting gas leaks. It uses its AI “brain” to plan safe routes and knows where it has been.
ANYmal is so good at what it does that some of the world's largest industrial companies – including BP, Equinor and Petrobas – have adopted it into their workforce.
The human master of ANYmal is ANYbotics, a company that emerged from ETH Zurich in 2016. The startup just raised $60 million to build more inspection robots and make them smarter.
There are currently almost 200 ANYmals in use on construction sites around the world. The company has been since last year reported with pre-orders exceeding $150 million.
“This additional funding will enable us to scale globally, enhance our AI-driven capabilities and continue to deliver unmatched value to our customers across all industries,” said Dr. Péter Fankhauser, co-founder and CEO of the company.
ANYbotics recently opened an office in Silicon Valley to enter the American market. This will put the company in closer competition with Spot, which also performs a majority of industrial inspections.
The company said it is investing in software and hardware development, including new, integrated GPUs designed to accelerate ANYmal in processing information, detecting anomalies and generally improving its work. ANYbotics trains its robot with AI computing from Nvidia.
This latest funding brings ANYbotics' total raised to over $130 million. The round was led by Qualcomm Ventures and Supernova Invest, with participation from TDK Ventures and other new investors.
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