ETH Zurich researchers developed a controller that lets the four-legged ANYmal robot combine what its cameras perceive with information about its own movements and contact with the ground. The system learns when visual measurements are unreliable, allowing it to continue across obstacles even when snow, vegetation or poor visibility make the terrain difficult to interpret. Marco Hutter's group trained the controller in simulation before testing it outdoors.
On a route up Mount Etzel, the robot covered 120 metres of elevation in 31 minutes without falling. The result, reported in Science Robotics, addresses a practical limitation of walking robots: neither vision alone nor feedback from the legs is sufficient in every environment. The controller combines both sources rather than requiring an accurate terrain model at every step.
