The Robot Report

Swiss-Mile’s Hybrid Mobility Benefits Quadruped Robots

Organization: Swiss-Mile
Country: Switzerland
Website: www.swiss-mile.com
Year Founded: 2021
Number of Employees: 1-10

Using both wheels and legs helps robots adapt to different situations and terrain.

Description:
RBRlogoSwiss-Mile, a spin-off of ETH Zurich’s Robotic Systems Lab, is commercializing robots that have both legs and wheels to perform a variety of tasks, including mapping, inspection, disaster relief, and logistics in urban environments. The robot is based on ETH’s ANYmal quadruped and can travel at speeds up to 13.87 MPH (22.32 kilometers per hour) with a payload capacity up to 110 lb (50 kg). 

The hybrid robot uses a combination of GPS, LiDAR, and cameras to autonomously navigate city streets and avoid obstacles. According to Swiss-Mile, the robots have a two-hour runtime per battery charge.

Analysis:
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.


This is not the first time we have seen a robot with both legs and wheels, but it could be one of the first hybrid systems to be commercialized. Boston Dynamics’ Handle robot initially had both, but that system evolved into Stretch, which uses only wheels. Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics, has said a wheel-leg hybrid robotics system could go anywhere in the world as it offers “the best of both worlds.” - Steve Crowe



 
Search The Robot Report