- Lynx S10 prototype completes trials during a 76-day Arctic research expedition
- Tests examined mobility, waterproofing and cold-weather performance in one of the world’s harshest environments
DEEP Robotics (云深处科技), a leading Chinese quadrupedal robotics developer, said its Lynx S10 wheeled-quadruped prototype has completed performance tests on Arctic sea ice during a Chinese scientific expedition.
This marks what the company described as the first deployment of a Chinese quadruped robot on the Arctic Ocean.
The tests were conducted between July and September 2025 aboard the research vessel Polar of Sun Yat-sen University, which completed its second Arctic expedition over 76 days.
The voyage covered roughly 12,000 nautical miles, reaching as far north as 81.6 degrees latitude.
A total of 38 researchers and students from 13 universities and research institutes joined this expedition and returned with ice cores and other scientific samples.
Enlarged biomimetic feet
Weighing less than 20 kilograms including its battery, the Lynx S10 was fitted with enlarged biomimetic feet developed jointly by DEEP Robotics, Sun Yat-sen University, Westlake University and Hangzhou Dianzi University.
The textured footpads were designed to mimic the grip structure of polar bear paws, improving traction on low-friction ice surfaces.
During the expedition, the robot completed mobility and locomotion tests on sea ice, validating its ability to maintain stability and control in slippery conditions.
The team also conducted underwater trials in ice-water environments.
Widely known as one of the “Six Dragons of Hangzhou,” DEEP Robotics also tested the robot in mixed ice-and-water environments.
The company said the quadruped’s sealed body design and IP67 protection rating enabled it to swim and operate in such conditions, where waterproofing requirements are more demanding than in conventional water-crossing scenarios.
The Arctic expedition posed additional challenges. Hidden melt ponds beneath snow cover can lead to sudden immersion in freezing water, while polar bears can reach speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour.
Human researchers boarded and disembarked through steel protective structures resembling shark cages, while the robot completed all planned tests without incident.
A series of field trials
The Arctic deployment is the latest in a series of field trials for DEEP Robotics’ quadruped systems in extreme environments.
In March 2025, the company’s larger-sized, industry-grade X30 robot completed a six-month inspection program at a remote wind farm in the Ningxia Gobi Desert, operating through heat, sandstorms and rain while achieving a reported fault-detection accuracy of 96.5%, the startup claimed.
Five months later, DEEP Robotics deployed an X30 robot disguised as a Tibetan antelope in the Hoh Xil wilderness at an altitude of about 4,800 meters.
Operating in subzero temperatures, thin air, snowstorms and marshland terrain, the robot traveled alongside migrating antelope herds in what the company described as the first use of an embodied AI robot integrated into a wild animal population for ecological observation.
