China's DEEP Robotics is about to add a new quadruped to its kennel called the Lynx. But rather than go for walkies on pads, the mid-sized pup rolls on four wheels and is built for all-terrain shenanigans – as you can see in the pre-launch promo.
Over the last few years, quadruped robots from the likes of Boston Dynamics, Unitree and ETH Zurich have showcased engineering prowess and AI advances in more and more impressive ways. But walking on all fours might not be suitable for all missions, and can be relatively slow going.
Swapping out the pads for wheels opens up new possibilities, as effectively demonstrated by the Swiss-Mile Robot, W1 and Go2-W recently. Now DEEP Robotics has teased a new member of this versatile pack – showing off some pretty slick all-terrain action ahead of an upcoming full launch.
The Lynx will join the company's existing trio of pad-footed quadruped offerings – the Lite3, X20 and X30. But as you can see in the promo teaser, the wheels add more speed and excitement while maintaining a similar level of control.
As with the other wheeled examples we mentioned earlier, the upcoming mid-sized robodog from DEEP Robotics can lock all wheels to walk along or climb over obstacles. The motors can also drive the quadruped over loose earth, dusty gravel or comparatively tame pavement.
However, a combination of different modes were needed to see it through the punishing multi-terrain assault course encountered during filming. Highlights of the short video include controlled descent down a steep slope, numerous walks on two wheeled legs and a clamber over an 80-cm-high boulder.
We'll have to wait for the official launch for all the juicy details on AI learning chops employed here as well as the machine's specs, but the company's existing robodog pack members are already capable of autonomously operating for up to four hours per charge in industrial settings. The Lynx would appear to add jaw-dropping multi-terrain capabilities to the recipe. Potential real-world applications include search and rescue, mapping, inspection and equipment transport.
"DEEP Robotics is about to debut this middle-sized powerful quadruped wheel solution, unlocking new levels of flexibility, productivity, and ease of use for our customers," said the company's Max Wu in a LinkedIn post. "Let's redefine the boundaries of what robots can achieve."
Source: DEEP Robotics
I can only assume you intentionally skipped the most obvious and disturbing potential real-world application for this: AI-controlled all-terrain killing machine. It doesn't take the slightest bit of imagination to picture this with machine guns, a sniper rifle, and/or a small missile launcher mounted on it.