Ambler

A huge six-legged autonomous walker built from 1988 to test whether legged rovers suit Mars-like terrain. Its telescoping vertical legs kept its body level while it walked very slowly.

Price: —Not published
Height: 350 cmTaller than 91%
Weight: 2500 kgHeavier than 88%
Payload: —Not published
Speed: —Not published
Battery: —Not published

Simulate in your job Compare

Not sure this is the one? Find the best robot for your job Starts with: research and teaching. Five more quick questions.

Why it matters

Used a unique 'circulating gait' in which trailing legs swung past the body to the front, and walked autonomously over boulders for NASA in 1990.

Real-world use

NASA planetary-exploration research

Timeline

First shown: 1990
Released: Not yet

Autonomous walking demonstration for NASA (about 25 autonomous steps over sand, boulders and a trench)

Maker

Carnegie Mellon University Field Robotics CenterUniversity lab · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

How it stacks up

Against other legged & novel that publish the figure. Pick a measure.

Ambler is taller than 91% of the 22 other legged & novel that publish a height. Bars show the 7 closest in date.

Height 350 cm 5 cm450 cm #3 of 23 · taller than 91%

Not published by the maker: speed, payload, joints, battery, price.

Public attention

A historic robot: no longer sold or in use, so it is not ranked against current machines.

No Wikipedia article of its own yet
No recent press stories listed yet

Measures how much people read and write about a robot, not how good it is. Measured 2026-10-14; same method for every robot. How it is measured

What’s inside

The parts the company has talked about publicly.

Movement: Walks on legs
How it runs: Fully autonomous. It walked by itself, planning its own footholds and route from laser scans of the terrain, while researchers monitored the tests.
Actuators & motors: Six orthogonal legs that swing horizontally and telescope vertically; the rear leg could pass all others.
Sensors & vision: Laser rangefinder used to build terrain maps (kept level by the upright body).
Battery & power: Drew about 1,400 W standing and about 4,000 W walking (reported).
AI & software: Autonomous terrain mapping, footstep planning and balance control.
Other details: About 3.5 m tall (other accounts say about 5 m), up to 7 m wide and 2,500 kg; walked about 35 cm per minute and could step over 1 m obstacles.

Lineage

Every Carnegie Mellon University Field Robotics Center (with NASA JPL) machine in order.

Made, sold and where

Unit counts are usually company figures; analysts often disagree.

Price: Not published
How to get one: No official buying page found
Built: One research testbed
Sold or delivered: not sold
Where it is sold or used: Carnegie Mellon University Field Robotics Center, Pittsburgh (with NASA JPL)
Customers and pilots: NASA planetary-exploration research

Sources

Figures come from press coverage. Every link below backs something on this page.

Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University 1990 Year End Report: Autonomous Planetary Rover at Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University Ambler cyberneticzoo.com AMBLER ri.cmu.edu Ambler: how it is operated cyberneticzoo.com 1988-91 - AMBLER - John Bares & William 'Red' Whittaker

Photos and logos only identify each robot and its maker. Simbeing is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsing any company, and nothing here is advertising. Figures are for statistics only and are not advice of any kind. Terms of use