I spent $4,000 on a robot dog from China
On a sunny morning in June, I walked to work with a quadruped robot beside me. I’ve never gotten more attention from strangers. A bunch of people snapped pictures of my robot dog. Several people asked me questions. Was it mine? (Yes.) Did I build it? (No.) Was it being used for surveillance? (No.) Biological dogs kept a safe distance from my mechanical companion. Some growled or barked at it.Read full article Comments
A journalist purchased a quadruped robot from a Chinese manufacturer for around $4,000 and tested it during his daily commute in Washington, DC. The robot represents a major shift in robotics accessibility, as it costs far less than comparable robots from established competitors, making the technology affordable enough that new practical uses may emerge. According to a roboticist interviewed in the article, this manufacturer's affordable robots have democratized quadruped locomotion research by making these machines available to many more researchers and institutions. The manufacturer has leveraged its experience building cheap quadrupeds to enter the humanoid robot market, selling humanoid robots for significantly less than previous alternatives and becoming a global leader in that space.
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