Chinese firm unveils six-legged robotic dog, completing unique embodied AI platform: report

Shenzhen Dobot Corp officially launched its six-legged bionic robotic dog on Wednesday, marking the company as the world’s first to introduce an embodied robotics platform that combines a robotic arm, humanoid form, and six-legged mobility, domestic news site stcn.com reported. 

From a technical perspective, Dobot’s six-legged robotic dog achieves several groundbreaking innovations, for example, its inherently superior six-legged structure forms stable triangular support with three points in contact with the ground at all times, significantly reducing posture fluctuations and offering rock-solid slip resistance, according to the media report. 

It can also handle pulling forces nearly five times its own weight with ease, unleashing powerful kinetic energy to tackle heavy-duty tasks.

With noise levels comparable to a library, its naturally low-impact gait allows for discreet and disturbance-free operation, the media report said. 

And a more agile ground-contact strategy and multi-joint coordinated response enable it to navigate discrete and uneven terrain—steep slopes included—without slowing down.

These innovations not only address long-standing challenges of traditional mobile robots in terms of stability, payload capacity, and environmental adaptability, but also open up new possibilities for embodied intelligence in real-world applications, stcn.com said. 

As foundational capabilities continue to improve, the application boundaries of six-legged robotic dogs will keep expanding. From current use cases such as industrial inspection and disaster rescue to future scenarios including household services, medical assistance, and even space exploration, the value of mobile manipulation platforms is set to grow exponentially with the increasing complexity of real-world environments.