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Robot Dog from China Struggles on Walk to Work
Confirmed
In Short: A robot dog purchased from the Chinese company Unitree for $4,000 faced battery issues during a walk to the author's office near the White House.
I spent $4,000 on a robot dog from China, but its battery was dangerously close to empty during a walk to my office near the White House. The device, manufactured by Unitree, struggled as the path got steeper.
According to reports, Unitree launched its first humanoid robot in 2023 and has since developed a range of robotic solutions, including the quadruped robot I purchased.
The robot's steps became increasingly labored, highlighting the challenges of integrating advanced robotics into everyday use.
At the CGN Lufeng Nuclear Power Project in Guangdong province, a robot dog is being used to check fire safety, part of a broader push to integrate AI and robotics into nuclear power construction.
What's confirmed
- One showed that the robot’s battery was at 5 percent—dangerously close to empty.
- Unitree launched its first humanoid robot in 2023.
What's still developing
- The lab also had a quadruped robot called Spot.
- Unitree founder Wang Xingxing developed a crude quadruped robot called XDog for his master’s thesis at Shanghai University.
- Unitree might be the world’s most important robotics company.
- On a sunny morning in June, I walked to work with a quadruped robot beside me.
- A bunch of people snapped pictures of my robot dog.
- Lei Yao, engineering deputy manager at China Nuclear Industry 23 Construction Co’s Lufeng project, said the nuclear island involves about 200,000 weld joints, of which about 160,000 are small-pipe welds.
- This week we’re publishing a series of five articles about the state of robotics — we’re calling it Robot Week.
- Over the last nine months, I’ve read dozens of research papers, Kai has gone on five reporting trips (including one to China), and we even purchased a robot dog from China!