# Team CERBERUS Wins the DARPA Subterranean Challenge: Technical Overview and Lessons Learned

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.04914 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.04914/

## Key facts

- Cited by 14 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 11 Jul 2022.

## Built on by (most cited first, 14 of 14)

- [Learning Risk-Aware Quadrupedal Locomotion using Distributional Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.14246/) (2023)
- [Reinforcement Learning for Collision-free Flight Exploiting Deep Collision Encoding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.03947/) (2024)
- [CoPeD-Advancing Multi-Robot Collaborative Perception: A Comprehensive Dataset in Real-World Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.14731/) (2024)
- [LiDAR-guided object search and detection in Subterranean Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.14997/) (2022)
- [Online Refractive Camera Model Calibration in Visual Inertial Odometry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.12074/) (2024)
- [A Benchmark Dataset for Collaborative SLAM in Service Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.14775/) (2024)
- [Autonomous Navigation in Complex Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.03267/) (2024)
- [CompSLAM: Complementary Hierarchical Multi-Modal Localization and Mapping for Robot Autonomy in Underground Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.06483/) (2025)
- [Robust Robotic Exploration and Mapping Using Generative Occupancy Map Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.20049/) (2025)
- [Online Adaptation of Visual Odometry Frontends with Image-Conditioned Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.21785/) (2026)
- [Acting on the Unseen: Communication-Free Collaborative Filtering for Decentralized Multi-Robot Task Allocation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.25584/) (2026)
- [Contactless Respiratory Monitoring on Heterogeneous Mobile Robots: A Multimodal Edge-Computing Framework](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.17376/) (2026)
- [SpotlessGS: Relightable 3D Gaussian Splatting under Dynamic Illumination for Robotic Perception](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.14713/) (2026)
- [DAPEVO: Deep Adaptive Patch Frame-Event Visual Odometry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.30947/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This article presents the CERBERUS robotic system-of-systems, which won the DARPA Subterranean Challenge Final Event in 2021. The Subterranean Challenge was organized by DARPA with the vision to facilitate the novel technologies necessary to reliably explore diverse underground environments despite the grueling challenges they present for robotic autonomy. Due to their geometric complexity, degraded perceptual conditions combined with lack of GPS support, austere navigation conditions, and denied communications, subterranean settings render autonomous operations particularly demanding. In response to this challenge, we developed the CERBERUS system which exploits the synergy of legged and flying robots, coupled with robust control especially for overcoming perilous terrain, multi-modal and multi-robot perception for localization and mapping in conditions of sensor degradation, and resilient autonomy through unified exploration path planning and local motion planning that reflects robot-specific limitations. Based on its ability to explore diverse underground environments and its high-level command and control by a single human supervisor, CERBERUS demonstrated efficient exploration, reliable detection of objects of interest, and accurate mapping. In this article, we report results from both the preliminary runs and the final Prize Round of the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, and discuss highlights and challenges faced, alongside lessons learned for the benefit of the community.