Around this time last year, Chinese robotics company Unitree caught our attention with the impressive circus tricks and GPT chat capabilities of its $1,600 second-generation robot dog. Now the company has wheeled out an all-terrain upgrade.
Though robot quadrupeds can be fast, agile, useful and perhaps even cute, padding around on all fours might not be suitable for all situations. In some cases, it could be easier to roll – as we've already seen with the likes of the Swiss-Mile Robot and the W1. Now Unitree has joined the wheeled robo-pack with the Go2-W.
The video below shows the new wheeled bot adopting a somewhat pushy attitude when faced with its non-wheeled cousin, and is seemingly faster in a head-to-head sprint – though the current specs list the top speed as the same as the base Go2, at 5.6 mph (2.5 m/s).
Like the Go2, the W variant also employs super-wide-angle LiDAR and wide-angle vision cameras in its sensor suite, and features octa-core processing brains plus Wi-Fi, 4G and Bluetooth wireless connectivity. Its 15,000-mAh battery is reported good for up to four hours of per-charge endurance, with the bot supporting fast-charge top-ups for minimum downtime.
Replacing the pads at the end of each jointed leg is a motorized wheel wearing a 7-inch pneumatic tire, allowing the Go2-W to land ski on the flats or adjust attack angles for minor bumps. The wheels can be locked when the bot needs to adopt a walking gait to move over more challenging terrain, climb stairs, tackle obstacles or perform acrobatic maneuvers like balancing on front legs.
The robodog is able to haul a payload of around 6.6 lb (3 kg), stands a little taller than the Go2 at 27.6 in (70 cm) and tips the scales heavier at around 40 lb (18 kg). Front lighting is included for after-dark mission, and the specs list a voice function – which is likely the same as the natural-language GPT engine found in the non-wheeled model.
Unitree hasn't revealed pricing or availability information at this time.
Product page: Go2-W
