Deploying the DEEP Robotics Lynx M20 for industrial inspection
What the wheel-legged Lynx M20 is built for, how it pairs with browser-based mission software, and the workflow from simulation to scheduled site patrols.
OLO Robotics Team · · 6 min read
The DEEP Robotics Lynx M20 is one of the most interesting inspection platforms to arrive in the affordable-quadruped wave: a wheel-legged robot that rolls where the ground is good and steps where it is not. That combination fits industrial sites unusually well — long flat stretches between obstacles, stairs, kerbs, and clutter. This guide covers what the M20 is built for, the software it needs to become an inspector rather than a demo, and the workflow from simulation to scheduled patrols.
What the Lynx M20 is built for
DEEP Robotics positions the Lynx series for industrial use in rough and mixed terrain. The wheel-legged design is the point: wheels are fast and efficient on flat ground, while legs handle the stairs, steps, and debris that stop conventional wheeled robots. For inspection routes that cross a real site — yard, ramp, stairwell, plant floor — that hybrid mobility means one robot covers the whole round instead of stopping at the first staircase.
Like every capable quadruped, the M20 carries payloads: cameras for visual checks, thermal imagers for hotspot detection, and gas sensors for environments where atmosphere matters. The hardware is ready for inspection work out of the crate.
The software gap every quadruped has
What no quadruped ships with is the mission layer: repeatable routes, scheduled autonomous patrols, payload data captured consistently at each point of interest, and records a team can compare between runs. Manufacturers provide a robot that walks and a control interface; turning that into an inspection programme is the buyer's problem. It is the same gap we describe in our robot dog inspection software guide, and it is why so many capable robots sit idle after the proof of concept.
Running the Lynx M20 with OLO
OLO works with DEEP Robotics hardware through ROS 2 — the M20 connects to the platform like any supported quadruped, through a partnership that has the robots working with OLO from first use. The deployment workflow is the standard five steps, all in the browser:
- Simulate — import a 3D model of your site and run the full inspection virtually, before the robot arrives.
- Map — drive the M20 through the real environment once to build a live SLAM map in the OLO visualiser.
- Configure — place waypoints along the round, assign the action at each stop (photo, thermal capture, sensor reading), and set up dashboard panels.
- Deploy — schedule the patrol. The M20 runs it autonomously, wheels on the flat, legs on the stairs.
- Analyse — watch live feeds during the run and review the complete ROSBag recording afterwards, timestamped end to end.
No ROS engineering is required from your team for the standard workflow, and the typed Python and TypeScript SDKs are there when developers want custom behaviour. Plans start at £175 per seat per month.
Where to get the M20 (and try it with OLO)
- In Japan: ELSA Japan, the official distributor of DEEP Robotics quadrupeds, pairs the Lynx lineup with OLO as its browser-based cockpit for teleoperation, SLAM navigation, and cloud simulation.
- Elsewhere: DEEP Robotics sells through regional resellers — contact us and we will point you to the right channel and confirm the configuration for your use case.
Getting started
The fastest evaluation path does not need the robot at all: OLO's simulation runs in the browser, so you can watch an M20-class inspection of your own site virtually before purchase. Bring a 3D model of the environment, book a session with the team, and make the buying decision with the mission already proven.