Watch Ghost Robotics’ quadruped go swimming

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Ghost Robotics’ Vision 60 quadruped robot can now swim. The Vision 60 can be fully amphibious when equipped with Onyx Industries’ Nautical Autonomous Unmanned Tail (NAUT).

According to Ghost Robotics, adding NAUT makes Vision 60 the first fully amphibious quadruped. While others have been made waterproof so they can walk through shallow water, Vision 60 is the first to actually “swim” in water.

Onyx’s NAUT jet propulsion unit can propel a robot at up to 3 knots for around 25 minutes on a single charge, according to reporting from The Drive. The unit operates with Onyx’s proprietary autonomous propulsion method and is plug-and-play for integration into existing networks.

NAUT includes a semi-autonomous control system that allows an operator to control the robot remotely or have it execute pre-programed missions autonomously. According to Onyx, NAUT can be added to any IP67 or above rated platform.

Vision 60 is a mid-sized, high-endurance quadruped intended for use in defense, homeland and enterprise applications. The robot is agile and durable enough to survive all-weather conditions in a wide range of environments. The quadruped can walk at up to 3 m/s and run for three hours or travel 10 km on a single charge.

Ghost Robotics has shipped over 200 Vision 60 robots or over 25 national security customers, among others. The company was founded in 2015 by Avik De, Gavin Kenneally and Jiren Parikh. 

Onyx and Ghost Robotics unveiled the collaboration at the 2022 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference.