An innovative robot dog which uses AI to survey unreachable underground areas has been deployed to help with surveys in the Forest of Dean.
Created by the Robotics Institute and Department of Computer Science at University College London, the robot — named Anymal — is the first of its kind, specially designed to navigate 'hard to reach' areas through artificial intelligence and remote control.
With the developers keen to trial Anymal in real-life conditions, Forestry England welcomed the robot dog to Wallsend Colliery in the Forest of Dean, to see how it would behave in an extreme environment whilst collecting data.
Using LiDAR cameras and point-cloud laser scanners to measure and survey its surroundings, the 20kg device navigated tricky terrain to conduct a survey of the coalmine.
Daniel Howell, deputy gaveller for the Forest of Dean, said: 'After a rocky start, the team were able to pilot the robot down a flight of steps into the mine and later send it up the main heading.'
The robot dog travelled half a mile underground, with those familiar with the mine accompanying it on its journey towards Yorkley.
Daniel continued: 'All-in-all the exercise was a complete success with Anymal leaving the mine under its own steam whilst navigating some extreme terrain.
'There are many potential future applications for the robot, from surveys of awkward or hazardous areas to search and rescue scenarios, and it has been a pleasure to be a part of this groundbreaking work.'
