The ETH Zurich ANYmal is a four-legged robot that the Swiss university (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich) hopes will be able to useful in any number of real world applications. But to get to the real world, you often have to take an elevator, which is why the ANYmal can do that as well.

"Thanks to incorporated laser sensors and cameras," ETH says on its description of the ANYmal,"the robot can perceive its environment to continuously create maps and accurately localize. Based on this information, it can autonomously plan its navigation path and carefully select footholds while walking." In this case, the QR code beneath the elevator door was helpful.

But the real world sadly lacks QR codes, and ETH Zurich wants the ANYmal to be useful in complex operations like search and rescue and industrial inspection of oil and gas sites. Which is why it also carries optical and thermal cameras, microphones, gas-detection sensors and active lighting, along with a 2 hour battery life.

Oh, and for the record, it can take the stairs.

Source: Popular Mechanics, The Verge