According to industry reports, global quadruped robot sales are projected to surpass 560,000 units by 2030, with the market size expected to exceed 1.2 billion US dollars. Addressing the industry challenge of insufficient penetration of industrial robots in unstructured environments, DEEP Robotics recently launched the medium-sized wheel-legged robot LYNX M20. Combining both wheeled and legged mobility capabilities, it is designed for demanding operational scenarios, driving intelligent upgrades across various applications including industrial inspection and emergency rescue operations.
Currently, manual inspection in substations faces multiple challenges including low efficiency, inconsistent standards, and poor adaptability to harsh environments, with subjective experience compromising assessment objectivity. Handheld devices used in power distribution stations suffer from inadequate real-time performance, insufficient accuracy, and operational complexity. Meanwhile, manual inspections of transmission lines and tunnels present dual risks of compromised precision and safety hazards. The existing operation and maintenance system urgently requires intelligent technological solutions to address these critical shortcomings in efficiency, accuracy, and safety dimensions.
Omni-terrain Operational Expertise: Powering Intelligent Transformation in the Energy Sector
To address these issues, the application of intelligent unmanned inspection technology in substations has gradually gained widespread attention, as it can effectively improve substation operation and maintenance efficiency, reduce labor costs, and ensure the safe and stable operation of power systems. LYNX M20 is a new wheel-legged robot capable of autonomous intelligent inspection, combining the all-terrain obstacle-crossing capability of traditional legged robots with the rapid mobility of wheeled systems, featuring an effective payload of 15kg and a maximum payload of 50kg to meet the requirements for carrying various detection equipment during power inspections. Under effective payload conditions, LYNX M20 achieves 2.5 hours of runtime with a maximum sustained operating speed of 2 m/s and a maximum range of 15 km. Additionally, LYNX M20’s unique ‘front-elbow-rear-knee’ symmetrical joint structure（which is directionally agnostic, allowing forward and reverse movement and turning without body rotation）and night fill lights enable it to freely navigate 50cm narrow passages without difficulty in confined spaces like substation equipment rooms and utility tunnels under low-light conditions. Simultaneously, it possesses autonomous charging, environmental perception, and fault diagnosis functions, enabling comprehensive, high-frequency substation inspections.
LYNX M20 can be equipped with a variety of advanced sensors, which can monitor the operation status of substation in real time and find potential problems in time. The dual-spectrum pan/tilt it can carry combines visible light imaging and infrared thermal imaging technology. Through visual identification, it can not only visually present the physical damage of the equipment, but also detect the internal heat abnormality of the equipment with the help of infrared radiation imaging differences, such as local overheating of the transformer winding or poor contact of the cable connector, so as to help the operation and maintenance personnel quickly locate the fault and judge the cause. In addition, the robot dog can be equipped with voiceprint and gas sensor, which can identify subtle defects such as abnormal sound and partial discharge of cooler, and monitor the concentration of harmful gas in the air in real time to ensure production safety. At the same time, LYNX M20 equipped with inspection system can analyze the images and data information monitored by sensors, and automatically generate inspection reports to further improve inspection efficiency.
IP66 Industrial-Grade Rugged Protection Ensures All-Weather Operation
IP66 (International Protection rating) indicates the product is completely protected against foreign object intrusion and dust ingress, and when subjected to powerful water jets or heavy seas, the amount of water entering the equipment shall not reach harmful levels. The industrial-grade IP66 protection emphasizes reliability under dynamic operating conditions, with its technical certification comprising two dimensions: the first digit represents dustproof level, requiring high-density dust protection with zero penetration after 8-hour dust chamber testing; the second digit represents waterproof level, demanding dynamic water resistance capable of withstanding 12.5L/min high-pressure spraying (equivalent to continuous impact from three fire hoses).
In real industrial inspection processes, there exist harsh environments with high temperatures, sand, and dust that impose extremely stringent protection requirements on robots. LYNX M20 possesses an IP66 protection rating, demonstrating exceptional waterproof, dustproof, and impact-resistant capabilities. In adverse conditions such as rainy or dusty weather, it can still operate normally without equipment damage or failure caused by environmental factors. Its operating temperature range extends from -20°C to 55°C, enabling LYNX M20 to work stably in extreme temperature environments and significantly expanding its applicable regions and seasonal limitations. Whether in substations in cold regions or during inspections of power facilities in hot zones, LYNX M20 can reliably perform its tasks.
Autonomous Navigation Patrol with Intelligent Algorithm Recognition
SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) is the core technology for robotic autonomous navigation. Simply put, it enables robots to achieve ‘trinity’ capabilities in unknown environments like humans: 1. Where am I? (Localization) – Using sensors like LiDAR and cameras to perceive the surrounding environment in real-time while simultaneously calculating its own position. 2. What does the surroundings look like? (Mapping) – Continuously creating high-precision (2D/3D) maps of the environment while moving, marking key information such as obstacles and terrain features. 3. How to get there safely? (Navigation) – Planning optimal paths based on map and localization data, with real-time obstacle avoidance and posture adjustment.
LYNX M20 collects and processes environmental data hundreds of thousands of times per second, just like “digital consciousness” with spatial cognition. Even in complex scenes such as tunnels and ruins, it can calculate its posture in real time and reconstruct a three-dimensional environmental model with centimeter-level accuracy. For unstructured terrain such as mountains and steep slopes, this robot, as an industrial robot, has a 96-line laser radar and a large visual field of 360°×90°, which can intelligently perceive the terrain and adjust its motion posture independently according to the terrain with AI motion control algorithm. It can also achieve omni-directional obstacle avoidance independently, easily cope with extreme environments such as rough mountain roads, muddy wetlands and ruins obstacles, and truly become an intelligent mobile platform specially built for complex terrain and dangerous environments.
Pioneer in Legged Robotics Industrial Applications
As the world’s first wheel-legged hybrid robot specifically designed for complex terrains and hazardous environments in industrial applications, the newly launched LYNX M20 breaks operational boundaries with its omnidirectional capabilities, establishing itself as a supremely capable intelligent mobile platform for industries. Currently, LYNX M20 is penetrating more application scenarios to deliver scalable intelligent solutions. For instance, in emergency firefighting, it overcomes environmental constraints like thick smoke, high temperatures, and oxygen deficiency to enter disaster zones, providing rapid situational feedback for precision rescue decision-making. In logistics delivery, it achieves last-meter precision by flexibly navigating narrow pathways and staircases in residential areas, solving the ‘last-mile’ delivery challenge. For urban management, it integrates multi-scenario applications including police security, environmental monitoring, and engineering surveying to enhance city management efficiency and comprehensively safeguard urban operational safety.
With the grand global launch of LYNX M20, DEEP Robotics will continue to advance the deployment of legged robotics products across various application environments including factory pipeline inspection, emergency rescue, fire reconnaissance, and future scientific research.
Recent online information mentioned the price of LYNX M20, but the official price of LYNX M20 has not been publicly released yet. This price is actually the pre-sale price of the previous generation product, so please pay attention to verification. For detailed quotations of LYNX M20 or partnership inquiries, please feel free to contact DEEP Robotics:
Email: [email protected].
