Why can't the same robot be used both indoors and outdoors?

As application scenarios expand to include service robots, inspection robots, and logistics AGVs, robot chassis—as their core components—face entirely different design requirements and technical challenges in indoor versus outdoor environments. Many customers have asked, “Can a single chassis model support both indoor and outdoor operations?”

In response, our technical team points out that indoor and outdoor environments impose fundamentally different hardware requirements on mobile chassis. This extends beyond mere hardware construction to encompass environmental adaptability, functional optimization, and application scenarios. Forced deployment often leads to increased failure rates and higher maintenance costs.

Whether robots can operate stably over extended periods in complex environments depends 70% on the design of their chassis hardware.

To assist you in making an informed selection, our company has systematically analyzed the hardware differences between indoor and outdoor robot chassis across four core dimensions, based on experience from hundreds of implemented projects:

Structural Strength and Obstacle-Crossin

g Capability: Indoor environments prioritize stability, while outdoor settings emphasize traversability.

Indoor Chassis: Designed for level surfaces and confined spaces like homes, hospitals, or offices, it focuses on smooth operation and low noise. Precise navigation and obstacle avoidance are essential, with a typical obstacle-crossing capability of ≤10mm.

Outdoor Chassis: Designed to handle rugged terrain, harsh weather, and unpredictable environmental factors such as potholes, slopes, manhole covers, and gravel. Requires high obstacle clearance (typically ≥30mm) and slope climbing ability (≥15°).

Environmental Protection Rating: From Dustproof to Weatherproof

Indoor Settings (Shopping Malls, Hospitals, Factories): Primarily dustproof and resistant to minor splashes; IP54 protection suffices.

Outdoor Scenarios (Parks, Ports, Substations): Requires resistance to rain, intense sunlight, dust, and even salt spray. Our outdoor chassis lineup achieves IP65 or higher protection ratings. Critical connectors utilize waterproof aviation plugs, motors feature sealed treatment, and vehicle surfaces are coated with UV-resistant anti-corrosion paint.

Temperature Control and Material Weather Resistance: Material selection directly impacts chassis performance and lifespan, tested from -20°C to +60°C.

In stable indoor temperatures, standard electronic components suffice, often utilizing lightweight materials like engineering plastics or aluminum alloys to reduce energy consumption and enhance mobility efficiency.

Outdoor environments present extreme temperature challenges, necessitating high-strength materials. Our company addresses northern winters and southern summers by employing low-temperature grease, wide-temperature battery management systems, and high-temperature-resistant cables. This ensures chassis normal startup and operation across temperatures ranging from -25°C to +60°C. Additionally, waterproof and dustproof coatings are applied to withstand rain and dust exposure.

The drive system is another key difference between indoor and outdoor chassis designs. Indoor robots typically employ wheeled drive systems, such as differential wheels or four-wheel drive wheels, enabling 360-degree agile steering to navigate confined spaces. Conversely, outdoor robots favor tracked or multi-wheel drive configurations to enhance traction and obstacle-crossing capabilities. For instance, robots deployed for wilderness surveying often feature tracked chassis that effortlessly navigate rocky terrain or steep slopes. Additionally, outdoor chassis incorporate more complex suspension systems to absorb terrain impacts and ensure stable operation.

Expansion interfaces compatible with upper mounts: Layout determined by application.

Indoor robots often require lightweight sensors (e.g., RGB-D cameras, compact LiDAR units), for which standard mounting holes are pre-installed on the chassis top.

Outdoor robots often integrate high-power equipment (e.g., gimbal cameras, weather stations, robotic arms), demanding enhanced power outputs (48V/10A+), structural load-bearing (local reinforcement), and electromagnetic shielding. Our outdoor chassis features dedicated multi-channel high-current power outputs and vibration-resistant sensor mounting platforms to prevent equipment loosening or signal interference.

The application scenarios for indoor robot chassis are predominantly concentrated in consumer and service sectors, such as smart homes, medical assistance, or commercial services. These chassis designs prioritize low noise, low energy consumption, and user-friendliness. For instance, robotic vacuum cleaners require quiet operation to avoid disrupting household activities. Outdoor robot chassis, however, are widely deployed in industrial and professional applications such as agricultural spraying, construction surveying, or disaster relief operations. These scenarios demand higher standards for chassis endurance, load capacity, and environmental adaptability.

Real-World Case Study

A smart campus client initially attempted to deploy outdoor patrol robots using indoor chassis. During the rainy season, this setup frequently encountered issues such as motor water ingress, wheel slippage, and positioning drift. After switching to specialized outdoor chassis, the robots not only passed three consecutive months of heavy rainfall testing but also achieved a more than threefold increase in MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures).