Boston Dynamics robot dog Spot has become somewhat of an internet sensation, no doubt thanks to its (perhaps disturbingly) killer dance moves or displays of super-strength.But Spot is far from the only robodog on the block. One of its competitors is ANYmal, an autonomous quadruped thats impressively good at everything from parkour to climbing ladders.Apart from doing tricks, ANYmal also has a real job. It does routine inspections in some of the toughest places on Earth. Think old nuclear power plants, abandoned mines, and offshore oil rigs.The of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!Cameras, sensors and gas detectors act as the robodogs eyes and nose spotting obstacles, and potential safety hazards, and even sniffing out gas leaks. With its AI brain, it plans safe paths and knows where its been.ANYmal is so good at its job, that some of the worlds biggest industrial companies the likes of BP, Equinor, and Petrobas have adopted it as part of their workforce.ANYmals human master is ANYbotics, a company spun out from ETH Zurich in 2016. The startup has just raised $60mn to build more inspection robots and make them smarter.Currently, close to 200 ANYmals are deployed at worksites across the world. As of last year, the company reported having more than $150mn in pre-orders.This additional funding allows us to scale globally, enhance our AI-driven capabilities, and continue to deliver unmatched value to our customers across industries, said Dr. Pter Fankhauser, the companys co-founder and CEO.ANYbotics recently opened an office in Silicon Valley to tackle the American market. This will put it into closer competition with Spot, which also does its fair share of industrial inspections.The company said it is investing in software and hardware development, including new, built-in GPUs intended to make ANYmal faster at processing information, detecting anomalies and overall making it better at its job. ANYbotics trains its robot using AI computing from Nvidia.This latest funding brings ANYbotics total raised to over $130mn. The round was led by Qualcomm Ventures and Supernova Invest, with participation from TDK Ventures and other new investors. Story by Sin Geschwindt Sin is a climate and energy reporter at TNW. From nuclear fusion to escooters, he covers the length and breadth of Europe's clean tech ecos (show all) Sin is a climate and energy reporter at TNW. From nuclear fusion to escooters, he covers the length and breadth of Europe's clean tech ecosystem. He's happiest sourcing a scoop, investigating the impact of emerging technologies, and even putting them to the test. Sin has five years journalism experience and holds a dual degree in media and environmental science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Get the TNW newsletterGet the most important tech news in your inbox each week.