This year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a document calling for the broader implementation of robots. Those of us working with quadruped robots know that stair climbing is one of the biggest challenges.
During substation inspection, old stairs often exceed 40 degrees, making steep slopes a major challenge for the robot's perception system. Traditional LiDAR tends to "miss" step edges in stair environments, leading to potential falls. Last year, we experienced a situation where a robot almost fell down the stairs, which really scared us.
Four Radar Fusion: Perceiving Every Detail of Stairs
Our current solution uses four M360 radars working together to form a complete 3D perception network. Each radar provides 360° horizontal field of view and 70° vertical field of view, and four radars working together can cover the entire space around the robot.
The most critical point is that M360's blind spot is only 5cm, half of MID-360's 10cm. In 45-degree stair climbing, this 5cm difference determines whether the robot can detect obstacles near the steps. During one test, MID-360 missed a small obstacle, and the robot almost stepped on it, but the problem was solved after switching to M360.
Dual Echo Mode: Reliable Protection in Complex Environments
Substations are full of metal structures, where traditional LiDAR can generate大量 noise in such environments, "seeing" obstacles that don't exist. During a rainy night inspection, MID-360 suddenly went blind near metal racks, spinning in place, forcing us to manually intervene.
M360's dual echo mode can penetrate raindrops and glass, maintaining stability in complex reflection environments. In that rainy night scenario, M360 clearly identified all metal obstacles and completed the inspection smoothly. This dual echo feature is truly practical in industrial environments.
Low Power Advantage: One Charge for 8-Hour Tasks
Industrial inspections often require continuous operation for 8 hours or more. MID-360 consumes 6.5W, requiring 2 charges during an 8-hour task, seriously affecting operational efficiency. M360 consumes less than 4.5W, requiring only 1 charge for the same 8-hour task.
During a continuous inspection, a robot with MID-360 ran out of power midway, forcing task termination. After switching to M360, the robot still had remaining battery after 8 hours of continuous operation, significantly improving operational reliability.
Waterproof and Dustproof: Reliable Operation in Harsh Environments
Industrial environments have lots of dust and humidity. M360 reaches IP67 protection level, completely dustproof and can withstand short-term immersion. In highly humid substations, MID-360 occasionally experiences data anomalies, but M360 has never had problems.
Once during a heavy rainstorm, MID-360's data suddenly became erratic, and the robot froze in place. M360 performed normally in the same environment and continued the inspection task. This difference is particularly noticeable in harsh environments.
Power Adaptation: Supporting Multiple Robot Platforms
In our project, we need to use robots with different voltages - some 24V, others 12V. M360 supports 12-32V wide voltage supply, allowing one radar to adapt to all robot platforms, saving a lot of trouble.
MID-360 only supports 9-27V, requiring additional adapter circuits on some high-voltage platforms, increasing potential failure points.
Test Comparison Data
Recently, we conducted comparative tests in a substation:
- Stair Climbing Success Rate: MID-360 85% success rate, occasional falls; M360 95% success rate, basically no falls
- Obstacle Detection: MID-360 cannot detect small obstacles within 10cm; M360 can accurately detect small obstacles within 5cm
- Battery Performance: MID-360 requires 2 charges for 8-hour task; M360 only needs 1 charge for 8-hour task
- Environmental Stability: MID-360 occasional data anomalies in humid environments; M360 stable in all harsh environments
Summary
To be honest, we initially felt that M360 was a bit heavier and more expensive than MID-360. But after six months of use, we found these disadvantages to be insignificant.
In stair climbing scenarios, M360's 5cm blind spot advantage is too obvious. Once a robot almost fell down the stairs, but after switching to M360, this problem never happened again.
The performance of dual echo mode in metal environments is also impressive. That rainy night inspection, MID-360 completely failed, but M360 worked normally. This experience completely convinced us.
The benefits of low power are also very real - only 1 charge for 8-hour tasks significantly improves efficiency. IP67 protection and wide voltage supply features, while not showing much difference in laboratory testing, are important in actual industrial environments.
Practical issues like dust, humidity, and voltage fluctuations - M360 can handle all of these well. In summary, if you need quadruped robots to work reliably in complex industrial environments, especially for climbing stairs, M360 is indeed worth considering over MID-360. The price is higher, but换来的是实实在在的作业安全性和可靠性提升。For us, this investment is worthwhile.