Hasta La Gadget!

There’s a lot of talk about the many potential uses of multi-legged robots like Cheetahbot and Spot — but in order for those to come to fruition, the robots actually have to go out and do stuff. And to train for a glorious future of sewer inspection (and helping rescue people, probably), this Swiss quadrupedal bot is going deep underground.

ETH Zurich / Daniel Winkler

The robot is called ANYmal, and it’s a long-term collaboration between the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, abbreviated there as ETH Zurich, and a spin-off from the university called ANYbotics. Its latest escapade was a trip to the sewers below that city, where it could eventually aid or replace the manual inspection process.

ANYmal isn’t brand new — like most robot platforms, it’s been under constant revision for years. But it’s only recently that cameras and sensors like lidar have gotten good enough and small enough that real-world testing in a dark, slimy place like sewer pipes could be considered.

Most cities have miles and miles of underground infrastructure that can only be checked by expert inspectors. This is dangerous and tedious work — perfect for automation. Imagine instead of yearly inspections by people, if robots were swinging by once a week. If anything looks off, it calls in the humans. It could also enter areas rendered inaccessible by disasters or simply too small for people to navigate safely.

But of course, before an army of robots can inhabit our sewers (where have I encountered this concept before? Oh yeah…) the robot needs to experience and learn about that environment. First outings will be only minimally autonomous, with more independence added as the robot and team gain confidence.

“Just because something works in the lab doesn’t always mean it will in the real world,” explained ANYbotics co-founder Peter Fankhauser in the ETHZ story.

Testing the robot’s sensors and skills in a real-world scenario provides new insights and tons of data for the engineers to work with. For instance, when the environment is completely dark, laser-based imaging may work, but what if there’s a lot of water, steam or smoke? ANYmal should also be able to feel its surroundings, its creators decided.

ETH Zurich / Daniel Winkler

So they tested both sensor-equipped feet (with mixed success) and the possibility of ANYmal raising its “paw” to touch a wall, to find a button or determine temperature or texture. This latter action had to be manually improvised by the pilots, but clearly it’s something it should be able to do on its own. Add it to the list!

You can watch “Inspector ANYmal’s” trip below Zurich in the video below.

When it comes to all things that concern gaming peripherals and accessories, there is one particular name that should always be taken into consideration: Razer. This leading lifestyle brand for gamers has just introduced an all new method of enjoying your Xbox One console via the introduction of the Razer Turret, a wireless keyboard and mouse combo that has been specially designed for Microsoft’s console.

This exclusive collaboration has one main intention: to deliver the full experience of a keyboard and mouse, alongside lighting and game integration to the Xbox One. Specially constructed for reliable gaming from the comfort of one’s favorite couch, the Razer Turret for Xbox One delivers a fast and stable 2.4 GHz wireless connection through a single dongle for both the mouse and keyboard, alongside a battery life that has been rated to up to 40 hours on a single charge. This should be more than adequate for most marathon gaming sessions or even up to two days’ worth of intensive gaming in a row sandwiched by a few hours of sleep.

Boasting of Razer’s signature Chroma technology working alongside Xbox Dynamic Lighting, console gamers will now be able to access the largest ecosystem of lighting with up to 16.8-million color options and lighting effects for their keyboard and mouse. This opens the door for a truly personalized experience, while raising the immersive level on various supported titles such as “X-Morph-Defense” and “Vermintide 2”, among others.

The keyboard will boast of Razer’s gaming grade mechanical switches that have been specially engineered for durability and reliability, sporting a lifespan of up to 80-million keystrokes. Chances are the Xbox One would have long gone obsolete before the Razer Turret is in need of a replacement. There is also a dedicated Xbox key that will instantly pull up the Xbox One dashboard for seamless navigation. As for the mouse, it has been modelled after the popular Razer Mamba Wireless gaming mouse, boasting of a high-performance 5G advanced optical sensor and Razer Mechanical Mouse Switches.

Expect the Razer Turret for Xbox One to be also fully compatible with the PC (Windows 10) platform, letting you enjoy both PC and console gaming with a single $249.99 purchase.

Press Release
[ Razer Turret for Xbox One copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

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Lenovo Yoga C630 WoS Review: Long battery Life and 4G LTE , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.