The Chinese company Xiaomi has unveiled a four-legged robot with the name CyberDog: an experimental open-source machine that the company says has "incredible potential."
CyberDog is the latest example of technology companies wanting quadrupeds in robotics. The most notable example of the trend is the Spot, a machine made by the American company Boston Dynamics. The Spot was launched last year for $ 74.500 and has many different uses, from inspecting hazardous mines to helping doctors connect with their patients remotely. It has also been tested by both law enforcement and the military, without a weapon.
The purpose for which Xiaomi envisions CyberDog is unknown. In a press release, the company stressed the open source nature of the machine design and that it would release only 1.000 units initially for "Xiaomi fans, engineers and robot enthusiasts".
The company says it hopes these first users will "promote the development and capabilities of four-legged robots". The first 1.000 units will cost just $ 9.999, or about $ 1.540 (it is unclear if the price will be the same for future releases).
The same press release states that CyberDog has the ability to respond to voice commands and follow its owner like a real dog. However, looking at them pictures of CyberDog, it's clear that Xiaomi isn't pitching the machine as a rival to the Spot. 
Η Xiaomi αναφέρει ότι το CyberDog είναι αρκετά ευκίνητο για να κάνει backflips, μπορεί να περπατάει με ταχύτητες 3,2m/s (έναντι 3,9m/s του Spot) και έχει βάρος 3kg (έναντι 5,2kg του Spot). Το CyberDog τροφοδοτείται από την πλατφόρμα τεχνητής νοημοσύνης Jetson Xavier της Nvidia και είναι εξοπλισμένο με μια σειρά από κάμερες και αισθητήρες. Αυτά περιλαμβάνουν αισθητήρες αφής, μονάδα GPS, fisheye φακούς ευρείας γωνίας και μια κάμερα RealSense D450 της Intel για ανίχνευση βάθους. Αυτά τα στοιχεία επιτρέπουν στο ρομπότ να περιηγείται ημιαυτόνομα.
“CyberDog can analyze its environment in real time, create navigation maps, plan its destination and avoid obstacles. Combined with human attitude and tracking recognitionς προσώπου, το CyberDog είναι σε θέση να ακολουθήσει τον ιδιοκτήτη του και να ξεφύγει από εμπόδια”, αναφέρει η Xiaomi. Το μηχάνημα μπορεί επίσης να απαντά σε φωνητικές εντολές, αναγνωρίζει λέξεις και οδηγίες αφύπνισης ή μπορεί να ελεγχθεί χρησιμοποιώντας μια εφαρμογή smartphone.
The CyberDog also has three USB-C ports and an HDMI port, which Xiaomi says can be used to customize hardware. The company says that LED sensors, panoramic cameras and search lights could be added to the robot.
