Waterproof Honey Badger quadruped navigates land and water

MAB Robotics Sp. last year deployed the latest generation of its quadruped, the Honey Badger 4.0. This waterproof and rugged robot is engineered for operation in extreme environments such as sewer pipes. It has demonstrated mobility and ability across rough terrain, validated through rigorous real-world testing. Honey Badger 4.0 is also capable of operating completely underwater, as the company demonstrated in a popular YouTube video.

Notably, MAB Robotics has achieved a breakthrough in on-robot learning, as detailed in its publication "Gait in Eight: Efficient On-Robot Learning for Omnidirectional Quadruped Locomotion." This novel approach employs an off-policy reinforcement learning algorithm, enabling rapid training of omnidirectional locomotion policies directly on the robot.

The Poznań, Poland-based company said Honey Badger can significantly improve sample efficiency and reduce computational overhead. This advancement in embodiment-aware policies marks a major leap in autonomous robotics, facilitating faster adaptation and enhanced performance in dynamic settings.

Furthermore, MAB Robotics is pioneering the use of these robots for navigating and inspecting challenging underground environments, including dark, confined, and unstructured terrains, demonstrated by its 2024 deployment in a city’s rainwater sewer system.

The company successfully worked with municipal authorities and local water and sewage companies, highlighting the practical application and potential impact of its technology on infrastructure inspection and maintenance, with further applications in flooded environments.

The Honey Badger 4.0, coupled with its innovative on-robot learning capabilities and focus on real-world applications in challenging environments, promises to conduct safer and more efficient inspection operations in dangerous and difficult-to-reach locations.

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