Tools are made for humans. Doorways, stairs and walkways are designed for humans, too. So are valves, levers, switches, controls and hoses used to complete operations. But tasks that need to be performed to save lives in case of a natural or man-made disaster? Not so human-centric anymore.

Carnegie Mellon University designed a robot so intelligent, autonomous, resourceful and rugged that disaster sites pose little threat, hazards can be systematically overcome, and chemical and radiation toxicity are non-factors on the way to rescue.

CHIMP: the CMU Highly Intelligent Mobile Platform is designed and engineered to move and think like a human, but better —possessing the ability to use tools, and easily navigate doorways and stairs designed for human movements.

Enter Elias/Savion.
Elias/Savion was selected as the Agency to brand CHIMP and give this feat of engineering and its complex platform messaging that conveyed CHIMP’s power to a layman’s audience but also to the international robotics community.

The Agency worked with the team from Carnegie Mellon to brand chimp with a playful look and feel while conveying the technology’s dramatic capabilities. Elias/Savion developed a fun and engaging website with an accompanying brochure, all of which incorporated CHIMP’s allusion to primates while tying the brand to evolution and innovation.

Today, CHIMP remains one of the wonders of the world, continually ranking high in robotics competitions all over the world while maintaining the most brand recognition among its competitors.