UNTUAI Global · SUNAC programme · technical plan

SUNAC M1: from lab prototype
to field trial

How we take SUNAC from today's TRL 3–4 lab prototype to a TRL 6 field trial with an Indian user force: a medium-class, all-metal, sensor-complete quadruped built from purchasable parts in 10 months.

Prepared bySudhir Pratap Yadav, Founder

Date8 October 2026

Contactsudhiry@untuai.com · +91 6376984160

10 monthsT0 (funding) to user field trial, with hardware, software and test tracks running in parallel

₹20.8 Llanded BOM for one SUNAC M1, including delivery, import duty and GST

₹48.4 Lhardware for the full trial: 2 robots + one shared field-trial kit

32 kg · 15 kgmass · walking payload; 2.5 m/s max, ≈ 8 km per charge, 2–5 km radio range (targets)

Technology readiness path

TRL 3Concept & architecture
Achieved

TRL 4Lab prototype walks
Achieved

TRL 5Metal prototype validated in relevant conditions
Month 8

TRL 6System demo with user in field
Month 10

TRL 7Operational evaluation by user
LoI · 2027

TRL 8–9Qualified, in service
Series A · 2028

SUNAC lab prototype — **Lab prototype**3D-printed, compact-class, tethered power. It proved our kinematics, control loop and team capability, but it cannot carry sensors or survive weather.

SUNAC M1 concept render — **SUNAC M1 field prototype**Medium class (Spot/A2 size), welded metal body, 120 N·m QDD actuators, 2× 3D LiDAR, 360° HDR video, 2–5 km MANET radio, 1.2 kWh swappable battery (≈ 8 km per charge), payload port.

The plan in one paragraph

We stop iterating on the printed lab robot and build two SUNAC M1 units in the medium class, the segment where Spot and Unitree A2 sell and where Indian forces need a robot that carries a real sensor payload but still fits in a patrol vehicle. The design follows a proven open-source recipe (University of Tokyo's MEVIUS2: e-commerce-sourced, sheet-metal welded, 13k USD BOM) and upgrades it to a field spec: stronger knees, sealing, tactical IMU, NavIC-capable RTK, encrypted mesh radio and an independent e-stop. Locomotion is trained by reinforcement learning in simulation while the hardware is being fabricated, so the robot can walk within weeks of assembly. The trial ends with a TRL 6 report from a user unit (BSF, Army or NDRF), which is the evidence needed for a Letter of Intent.

Working document · prices & specs as of 8 Oct 2026 · planning rate ₹95/USD, ₹110/EURresearch.untuai.com/research/sunac-m1

UNTUAI · SUNAC M1 field-trial planLandscape2 / 6

02 · Existing robots

Three classes of quadruped are being built

Every serious quadruped programme, open or closed, lands in one of three weight classes. The class decides what the robot can carry, how it is transported and what it costs, so it is the first design decision.

Class A · ≤ 20 kg

Compact / research

Cheap and quick to iterate. Payload under 8 kg, so there is no room for long-range radio, two LiDARs and a mission sensor. Good for labs and indoor demos. Our printed prototype sits here.

Class B · 20–45 kg

Medium / field utility

Spot-class. Carries a full sensor suite plus 10–25 kg, fits in a Gypsy or Bolero, and two people can lift it. This is where commercial volume and most defence pilots are today. SUNAC M1 goes here.

Class C · 45–75 kg

Heavy / mule & armed

IP67, 20–40 kg payload, weapon and arm mounts. Needs a hoist or ramp, and each unit lands at ₹1–2 Cr imported. A later SUNAC variant can reuse the M1 software with larger actuators.

Robot · origin	Mass	Payload (walk)	Max speed	Max step	Peak joint torque	Runtime	IP	Price (approx.)
A · Compact / research ≤ 20 kg · indoor, education, R&D, light inspection
Unitree Go2closedChina	15 kg	~7 kg	3.7 m/s	16 cm	45 N·m	1–2 h	—	$1.6k–15k
MIT Mini CheetahopenUSA	9 kg	—	2.45 m/s	—	17 N·m	—	—	research
ODRI Solo-12openEU	2.5 kg	—	—	—	2.5 N·m	—	—	~$12k
MEVIUS (v1)openJapan	15.5 kg	—	—	—	25 N·m	—	—	~$12k
SUNAC lab prototypeoursIndia	<10 kg	—	—	—	—	tethered	—	TRL 3–4
B · Medium / field utility 20–45 kg · patrol, inspection, CBRN, disaster, light logistics ← our target
Boston Dynamics SpotclosedUSA	33.8 kg	14 kg	1.6 m/s	30 cm	85 N·m	1.5 h	IP54	~$75k
Unitree A2closedChina	37 kg	25 kg	3.7 m/s	30 cm	180 N·m	3–5 h	IP56	~$32k
MEVIUS2 (2026)openJapan	22.9 kg	—	—	—	60 N·m	~1 h	—	$13k BOM
SUNAC M1 (this plan)oursIndia	32 kg	15 kg	2.5 m/s	25 cm	180 N·m	2–2.5 h	IP54→65	₹20.8L BOM
C · Heavy / mule & armed 45–75 kg · max payload, weapon & arm mounts, all-weather
Unitree B2closedChina	60 kg	40 kg	6 m/s	40 cm	360 N·m	4–6 h	IP67	$77k–110k
DEEP Robotics X30 ProclosedChina	~59 kg	20 kg	4 m/s	20 cm	—	2.5–4 h	IP67	quote
Ghost Robotics Vision 60closedUSA	51 kg	10 kg	3 m/s	—	—	~3 h	IP67	quote
ANYbotics ANYmal DclosedSwitzerland	50 kg	15 kg	1.3 m/s	25 cm	—	1.5–2 h	IP67	~$150k

Figures come from vendor and reseller spec sheets and the MEVIUS2 paper (arXiv 2603.22031, Table I). Sources disagree in places, so treat them as approximate. Max speed is the vendor figure (Go2, A2 and B2 also quote higher lab/burst speeds). Spot torque is the average over its range of motion; B2 torque and step are knee and obstacle figures. "—" means not published.

Why medium is the right next step

Payload headroom: 15 kg covers 2 LiDARs, a MANET radio and a thermal or CBRN module. A compact robot cannot carry this.
Logistics: two-person lift, carried in a standard patrol vehicle. Heavy-class robots need a ramp and a dedicated vehicle.
Cost: our BOM is about ₹21 L against roughly ₹40 L landed for an A2 and ₹90 L+ for a Spot. Heavy class lands at ₹1–2 Cr.
De-risked: MEVIUS2 has shown an e-commerce-sourced metal build at this size, with the design published.
Scales both ways: the same stack can shrink to a light scout or grow into a heavy mule.

Indian landscape (for positioning)

Army MULE: 100 units procured in an emergency tranche in 2023.
Zen Technologies, Prahasta: weapon-mountable, LiDAR + RL terrain mapping.
Addverb, TRAKR: Reliance-backed, 12 actuators, 4 stereo cameras, NVIDIA compute.
Svaya Robotics: domestically designed demonstrator with DRDO, on the IDDM track.
Bhairav, Shvana: armed UGV/quadruped, 5–8 km LTE/RF link.

None of these claims 100% indigenous hardware. The winning claim is Indian design IP plus an Indian software stack (Buy Indian-IDDM, ≥ 50% IC).

Working document · prices & specs as of 8 Oct 2026 · planning rate ₹95/USD, ₹110/EURresearch.untuai.com/research/sunac-m1

UNTUAI · SUNAC M1 field-trial planOur robot3 / 6

03 · Our robot

SUNAC M1: medium-class field prototype

Design targets for the two field-trial units, to be verified at the M3–M6 milestones. Sized to beat Spot on payload, speed and endurance, match the Unitree A2 on torque, and stay buildable from parts we can buy today.

Platform
Class	Medium / field utility (Spot · A2 size)
Mass	32 kg ± 3 incl. battery · ≈ 26 kg body, two-person lift
Size	≈ 900 × 480 × 600 mm standing · ≈ 300 mm high sitting
Ground clearance	≈ 30 cm at nominal stance
DoF · actuators	12 · 8× RobStride 04 (120 N·m) + 4× RobStride 03 (60 N·m)
Knee	≈ 180 N·m peak via 1.5:1 linkage; motor on the body keeps legs light
Payload	15 kg walking · 40 kg standing
Field service	actuator or leg swap in under 15 min with hand tools
Speed by gait
Stealth crawl	0.3 m/s · low profile, quiet footfalls
Patrol walk	1.0–1.5 m/s (nominal mission speed)
Fast trot	2.0 m/s sustained
Burst	2.5 m/s short dash
Stairs	0.5 m/s up · 0.4 m/s down
Sideways · reverse	0.8 m/s · 1.0 m/s
Turn in place	90 °/s
With 15 kg	capped at 1.5 m/s
Terrain
Step / obstacle	25 cm (30 cm stretch target)
Stairs	up to 20 cm rise, 35° flight
Slope	30° up/down · 20° side-slope
Gap · water	30 cm gap · 15 cm fording
Surfaces	rubble, sand, gravel, grass, mud, snow crust

Endurance & range
Battery	48 V · 1.2 kWh Li-ion · tool-less swap in under 2 min
Runtime	2–2.5 h walking · ≈ 1.5 h with 15 kg
Standby / sentry	8 h+ sitting, sensors and radio on
Range per charge	≈ 8 km unloaded · ≈ 5 km with 15 kg
Charging	≈ 2 h to 80 % · ≈ 3 h to 100 % (10 A charger)
Mission length	extended by swapping packs (2 per robot)
Communications
Mission link	encrypted MANET mesh (Doodle Labs Mesh Rider), AES-256
Link range	2–5 km line of sight with a 6 m OCU mast · 0.3–0.8 km non-line-of-sight
Extended range	multi-hop: each relay node adds ≈ 2–3 km
E-stop link	separate 2.4 GHz ELRS · ≥ 1 km · stop in under 300 ms
Other links	Wi-Fi 6 for maintenance · 4G/5G optional
Video	2 live streams at 720p, under 300 ms latency
On link loss	hold 10 s → sit → return home (configurable)
Environment
Ingress	IP54 for the trial → IP65 at Rev-B
Temperature	−10 to +50 °C · derated above 45 °C
Altitude	≤ 3,000 m for the trial · high-altitude kit at Rev-B
Night · weather	full autonomy in darkness · light rain, dust
Noise	target ≤ 60 dB(A) at 5 m · quiet-gait mode
Autonomy & compute
Compute	Jetson AGX Orin 64 GB (275 TOPS) + STM32 safety MCU
Sensing	2× Mid-360 LiDAR (40 m) · depth cam · 4× HDR cams · tactical IMU
Localisation	RTK GNSS + NavIC (±2 cm) · LiDAR SLAM drift < 1 %
Operation	1 operator : up to 3 robots · case-to-walking in under 5 min

Sensing2× LiDAR · depth · 4× HDR cams · IMU · RTK/NavIC

Jetson AGX Orin 64 GB · ROS 2RL locomotion policy 50 Hz · SLAM · detection · Nav2 · mission manager

Actuation4× CAN buses → 12 QDD actuators, 1 kHz PD

Safety MCUe-stop radio · contactor · BMS · watchdog

Power48 V 1.2 kWh → pre-charge → DC-DC 19 / 12 V

CommsMANET mesh ↔ OCU: video, map, commands

Payload port48 V · 12 V · GbE · CAN · PPS

Against the benchmarks

	SUNAC M1 (target)	Boston Dynamics Spot	Unitree A2	MEVIUS2 (open)
Mass	32 kg	33.8 kg	37 kg	22.9 kg
Payload (walk)	15 kg	14 kg	25 kg	—
Max speed	2.5 m/s (2.0 sustained)	1.6 m/s	3.7 m/s (5 burst)	—
Max step · slope	25 cm · 30°	30 cm · 30°	30 cm · 45°	—
Runtime	2–2.5 h	1.5 h	5 h (3 h @ 25 kg)	~1 h
Range per charge	≈ 8 km (5 km @ 15 kg)	—	20 km (12.5 km @ 25 kg)	—
Battery · charge	1.2 kWh swap · 3 h	564 Wh swap · 2 h	907 Wh hot-swap · 1 h	≈ 230 Wh LiPo
Comms (standard)	MANET 2–5 km + e-stop radio	Wi-Fi (radio add-on)	Wi-Fi 6 · 4G option	Wi-Fi
IP · temperature	54→65 · −10/+50 °C	54 · −20/+45 °C	56 · −20/+55 °C	—
Peak joint torque	180 N·m	85 N·m	180 N·m	60 N·m
Unit cost	₹20.8 L BOM	~₹90 L+ landed	~₹40 L landed	~₹12 L BOM
Design IP	Indian	US	China	open (JP)

Radio range depends on terrain and antenna height; ground-to-ground figures are targets measured at M4 and in the trial. Competitor data: vendor/reseller sheets; "—" = not published.

Working document · prices & specs as of 8 Oct 2026 · planning rate ₹95/USD, ₹110/EURresearch.untuai.com/research/sunac-m1

UNTUAI · SUNAC M1 field-trial planBill of materials4 / 6

BOM: one SUNAC M1 + field-trial kit

Prices checked 8 Oct 2026. Total = unit × qty + delivery + duty/GST. Indian prices include GST except rows with a GST figure (18% added). Imports ($/€) carry ≈ 28% duty + IGST on items + freight. EST. = quote-based estimate · IN = Indian-made.

Group	Component · spec	Source	Qty	Unit ₹	Delivery ₹	Duty/GST ₹	Total ₹
Actuation₹4.86 L	1RobStride 04 QDD actuator 120 N·m peak / 40 N·m rated, 9:1, 48 V, CAN · hip-flex + knee · $285	RoboticsCenter (US)	8	27,075	16,000	65,128	2,97,728
	2RobStride 03 QDD actuator 60 N·m peak / 20 N·m rated, 9:1, 48 V, CAN · hip ab/ad · $225	RoboticsCenter (US)	4	21,375	8,000	26,180	1,19,680
	3Waveshare USB-CAN-FD-B (2-ch) one CAN bus per leg (4 ch), Linux/Jetson driver	ThinkRobotics	2	11,050	—	—	22,100
	4Knee linkage, bearings & fasteners crossed-roller + deep-groove bearings, rods, shafts	MISUMI Indiaest.	1	45,000	1,500	—	46,500
Structure & enclosure₹3.93 L	5Welded sheet-metal body + CNC leg linksIN A5052 sheet + A7075/6061 CNC, ~16 unique parts (MEVIUS2-style)	Karkhana.io (RFQ)est.	1	3,20,000	6,000	—	3,26,000
	6Feet, bumpers & coversIN TPU-95A feet, PETG-CF covers, printed in-house	Robu.in (filament)est.	1	12,000	500	—	12,500
	7Ingress & harness kit IP67 M12/M8 connectors, glands, gaskets, boots, shielded cable	Mouser Indiaest.	1	45,000	1,000	—	46,000
	8Thermal management IP-rated fans, heat-sinks, membrane vents	Robu.inest.	1	8,000	300	—	8,300
Power₹1.27 L	948 V 25 Ah Li-ion pack (13S5P, 21700 NMC, 3C)IN 1.2 kWh, BMS incl. · 1 in robot + 1 swap spare	Robu.in	2	40,899	2,000	—	83,798
	10Smart BMS (CAN) + 54.6 V 10 A charger pack telemetry to robot, fast field charge	Robu.inest.	1	14,000	500	—	14,500
	11Power distributionIN contactor + pre-charge, fuses, DC-DC 19 V/12 V, PDU PCB	Mouser · PCB Powerest.	1	28,000	1,000	—	29,000
Compute₹2.54 L	12NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin 64 GB module 275 TOPS · perception, autonomy, RL policy	Robu.in	1	1,88,722	—	—	1,88,722
	13Seeed reComputer Mini J501 carrier AGX Orin carrier with GMSL camera extension	ThinkRobotics	1	47,550	—	—	47,550
	141 TB NVMe SSD (industrial temp.) logs, maps, black-box recorder	Amazon.inest.	1	9,000	—	—	9,000
	15Safety & I/O MCU boardIN STM32H7: e-stop chain, BMS, watchdog, lights	Own PCBest.	1	8,000	300	—	8,300
Perception & navigation₹5.32 L	16Livox Mid-360 3D LiDAR 360°×59°, 40 m @10 %, IP67, built-in IMU · front + rear · $979	Livox (list $979)	2	93,005	6,000	53,763	2,45,773
	17Orbbec Gemini 336L depth camera outdoor stereo depth, IP65 · stairs & terrain	ThinkRobotics	1	52,800	—	—	52,800
	18e-con STURDeCAM12 ×4 camera kitIN 1.3 MP 120 dB HDR, IP69K, GMSL2 · 360° operator video · $999	e-con Systems, Chennai	1	94,905	1,000	17,083	1,12,988
	19MicroStrain 3DM-CV7-AR IMU tactical-grade · state estimation & SLAM	Mouser India	1	60,853	—	10,954	71,807
	20u-blox ZED-X20P RTK GNSS + antenna all-band: GPS + NavIC L5 + Galileo + BeiDou, cm-level RTK · €314	ArduSimple (EU)	1	34,540	3,500	10,651	48,691
Comms & safety₹2.93 L	21Doodle Labs Mesh Rider radio (robot node) 902–5925 MHz, up to 100 Mbps, encrypted MANET mesh	IndiaMART dealer	1	1,99,000	1,000	35,820	2,35,820
	22RadioMaster TX16S MkII (ELRS) independent wireless e-stop + manual teleop link	Zbotic	1	25,477	—	—	25,477
	23Safety chain Pilz safety relay, 2 mushroom e-stops, ELRS receiver · Cat-0 stop	Pilz India / Robuest.	1	16,000	500	—	16,500
	24Assembly consumables & jigsIN crimps, adhesives, thread-locker, fixtures	Localest.	1	15,000	—	—	15,000
A · Robot BOM, one SUNAC M1 (items ₹18,15,855 + delivery + duty/GST)					49,100	2,19,578	₹20,84,533
Field-trial kit (one-time, shared)₹6.66 L	25Mesh Rider ground-station node + mast operator-end radio + 6 m telescopic mast	IndiaMART dealer	1	2,11,700	2,500	38,106	2,52,306
	26Spare actuators 2× RobStride 04 + 1× RobStride 03 · $795	RoboticsCenter (US)	1	75,525	6,000	22,827	1,04,352
	27Operator control unit semi-rugged sunlight-readable laptop + gamepad	Amazon.inest.	1	1,50,000	—	—	1,50,000
	28Rugged transport caseIN wheeled, foam-lined, one per robot	IndiaMARTest.	2	40,000	2,000	—	82,000
	29Field charging kit + bring-up gantryIN 2 chargers, 1.5 kVA generator, first-walk harness frame	Amazon.in · localest.	1	75,000	2,500	—	77,500
B · Field-trial kit (items ₹5,92,225 + delivery + duty/GST)					13,000	60,933	₹6,66,158

₹20.85 LA · landed BOM, one robot

₹6.66 LB · field-trial kit, one-time

₹48.35 LTrial hardware total = 2 × A + B

≈ 28%Indian content by cost (unit 1); design IP 100% Indian

Notes. RobStride is back-ordered in the US, so order in week 1 (alternates: OpenELAB EU, rcdrone $319). Jetson is priced as a module; the dev kit is ₹4.25 L. Confirm J501 GMSL support for the e-con cameras before the PO. The Mesh Rider price is a dealer listing, so get a model quote. Lean config (₹30k 4G router instead of MANET, one LiDAR): ≈ ₹17.6 L per robot. At 10+ units: ≈ 30% lower. Excludes salaries, cloud GPU, test-range fees and certification.

Working document · prices & specs as of 8 Oct 2026 · planning rate ₹95/USD, ₹110/EURresearch.untuai.com/research/sunac-m1

UNTUAI · SUNAC M1 field-trial planCapabilities & extensions5 / 6

05 · What it can do

Capabilities: hardware to software

What SUNAC M1 will do on the first day of the field trial, layer by layer. Everything above the hardware is our own software integration, which is where the indigenous-IP claim and the long-term value sit.

Missionoperator layer

Patrol routes drawn on a map; click-to-go; scheduled sentry and patrol; live 360° HDR video; snapshot and alert log; one operator can run several robots.

Autonomynavigation

Nav2 waypoint following and route patrol · RTK-GNSS + NavIC where the sky is open, LiDAR localisation in GPS-denied tunnels and buildings · geofence · return-to-home on link loss · obstacle avoidance.

Perceptionunderstanding

FAST-LIO2 LiDAR-inertial SLAM builds a 3D map in real time · GPU elevation mapping for footstep-aware walking · person and vehicle detection on Orin (YOLO-class) · change detection on repeat patrols.

LocomotionRL policy

Policy trained in Isaac Lab on thousands of simulated terrains with domain randomisation · walk, trot, stair, crawl and sit gaits · blind and perceptive modes · push and slip recovery · self-righting after a fall.

Controlreal-time

50 Hz policy → 1 kHz joint PD inside each actuator · EKF state estimate (IMU + leg kinematics) · torque, temperature and current limits · battery-aware power budget.

Hardwareplatform

12-DoF QDD legs with 180 N·m knees · 15 kg payload · welded metal body · IP54→65 · 1.2 kWh swappable pack · 2× LiDAR, depth, 4× HDR cameras, tactical IMU, RTK GNSS · encrypted MANET · independent e-stop.

Trial acceptance targets: 2 km autonomous patrol without intervention · ≥ 6 km walked on one charge · 20 cm stairs and 30° slope with 15 kg · 2 h continuous walking · 2.0 m/s trot · recovers from a push and stands up after a fall · e-stop under 300 ms · live video at 2 km line of sight.

Software stack: Ubuntu 24.04 / JetPack 6 · ROS 2 Jazzy · ros2_control · Isaac Lab + RSL-RL · FAST-LIO2 · elevation_mapping_cupy · Nav2 · Foxglove · our own OCU and mission manager. Open-source core, Indian-owned integration IP.

Platform extensions

One robot, many missions: the SUNAC payload port

Every module bolts to the top rail and plugs into one standard connector. Each mission kit swaps in minutes, with no new robot.

48 V · 10 A12 V · 5 AGigabit EthernetCAN-FDPPS time syncM6 rail, 15 kg

EO/IR surveillance gimbal640×512 thermal + 30× zoom day camera on a stabilised mast. AI flags people and vehicles at night.

₹4–8 L · BSF · ITBP · SSB

Night-vision kitStarlight low-light camera + 850/940 nm IR illuminator for covert navigation and video.

₹0.5–1 L · Army · CAPF patrols

Long-range 3D LiDAR32-channel, 200 m LiDAR for corridor and border mapping and tunnel surveys.

₹4–7 L · Engineers · NDRF

Weapon / RCWS mountRecoil-rated hardpoint for a user-supplied remote weapon station. Fire control stays human-in-the-loop under the user programme; non-lethal payloads come first.

user programme · Army · special forces

CBRN & gas podMulti-gas, VOC and gamma dosimeter with geo-tagged readings on the map. The robot enters the zone first.

₹2–5 L · CISF · NDRF · refineries

6-DoF manipulator armOpens doors, inspects suspect objects, picks samples and turns valves.

₹3–10 L · Bomb disposal · CISF

Logistics mule kitCargo rack (15 kg), casualty sled tow and auto-follow-me for last-mile supply.

₹0.3–0.6 L · Army · NDRF

Mesh-relay nodeThe robot drops or carries radio repeaters to extend the link into valleys, tunnels and collapsed buildings.

₹2–2.5 L / node · NDRF · Army

Mine / IED sweepFront sweep arm with metal detector + GPR. Marks hits on the map and lets the soldier stay back.

₹3–8 L · Army engineers

Audio & acoustic arrayTwo-way speaker/mic to talk to trapped victims; mic array to localise gunshots and voices.

₹0.5–2 L · NDRF · CAPF

Drone dockBack-mounted landing pad or tethered quadcopter for overwatch. Air and ground recon in one team.

₹2–5 L · BSF · Army

Industrial inspectionThermal hotspots, acoustic leak detection and AI gauge reading on scheduled rounds. Civil revenue for the same platform.

₹2–4 L · Refineries · power · mining

Add-on costs are indicative component ranges. Prefer Indian suppliers where they exist (for example Tonbo Imaging for thermal).

Working document · prices & specs as of 8 Oct 2026 · planning rate ₹95/USD, ₹110/EURresearch.untuai.com/research/sunac-m1

UNTUAI · SUNAC M1 field-trial planTimeline6 / 6

06 · Timeline

10 months to a TRL 6 field trial

Hardware, software and test run in parallel. Locomotion training starts on day one in simulation, so software is ready when Unit 1 is assembled. Dates assume funds arrive by 1 Nov 2026 (T0); every bar moves with T0.

Hardware Software & AI Test & trial ◆ Milestone

Nov2026

Dec

Jan2027

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Hardware

Design freeze: CAD, FEA, actuator & knee-ratio sizing

Long-lead procurement & customs (actuators, LiDAR, Orin, radio)

Fabrication: CNC, sheet-metal welding, harness

Unit-1 assembly & electrical bring-up

Unit-2 build with Rev-A fixes

Ruggedisation: IP54 sealing, thermal, EMI

Software & AI

Sim model + RL locomotion training (Isaac Lab)

Sim-to-real: blind walk → slopes → stairs → payload

Perception: LiDAR-inertial SLAM, elevation map, detection

Autonomy & OCU: waypoint patrol, return-home, video

Test & trial

Lab tests: payload, endurance, fall recovery

Environmental tests: heat, dust, water, cold

Internal field runs: desert (Jodhpur), quarry, hills

User field trial (BSF / Army / NDRF) + TRL-6 report

Milestones

M1M2M3M4M5M6

M1Design freeze · late Dec 2026

M2Unit-1 first walk · early Mar 2027

M3Stairs + 15 kg payload · early May 2027

M42 km autonomous patrol · mid Jun 2027

M5TRL 5 · environment-qualified · end Jun 2027

M6TRL 6 · user field trial done · end Aug 2027

What happens after month 10

Month 10–12: user feedback goes into Rev-B (IP65, hot-swap battery, first payload kit). Push for a Letter of Intent and an iDEX/DISC contract.
2027 H2: TRL 7 operational evaluation with 3–5 units in user hands.
2028: Series A, small-batch production, indigenous actuator in the BOM, ≥ 50% IC for Buy (Indian-IDDM).

Team load (core)

2 mechanical / mechatronics · 1 electronics & power · 2 RL & controls · 1 perception & autonomy · 1 test & field lead, plus founders on user engagement. Aligns with the ₹1.3–1.5 Cr/yr run-rate plan.

Top risks & mitigations

Actuator supply (China-origin, back-ordered)	Order in week 1 with 3 spares; qualify CubeMars AK80-64 as second source; start an Indian actuator track in parallel (IC lever).
Customs and lead-time slips	Consolidate imports into one shipment; budget 6 weeks; train in simulation while waiting.
Sim-to-real gap in locomotion	Actuator-network modelling, domain randomisation, gantry-protected first walks, staged terrain curriculum.
Actuators only IP52	Sealed body, boots on joints, IP54 for trial; move to RobStride IP67 variants for Rev-B.
Field-trial access	Engage BSF/Army/NDRF and iDEX (DISC 14) from month 1; book trial slot by month 6.

Working document · prices & specs as of 8 Oct 2026 · planning rate ₹95/USD, ₹110/EURresearch.untuai.com/research/sunac-m1

SUNAC M1: from lab prototypeto field trial

Technology readiness path

The plan in one paragraph

Three classes of quadruped are being built

Compact / research

Medium / field utility

Heavy / mule & armed

Why medium is the right next step

Indian landscape (for positioning)

SUNAC M1: medium-class field prototype

Against the benchmarks

BOM: one SUNAC M1 + field-trial kit

Capabilities: hardware to software

One robot, many missions: the SUNAC payload port

10 months to a TRL 6 field trial

What happens after month 10

Team load (core)

Top risks & mitigations

SUNAC M1: from lab prototype
to field trial