{"id":3331,"date":"2024-08-24T03:00:48","date_gmt":"2024-08-24T03:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tradetrovex.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/24\/chinas-robotic-dogs-still-a-novelty-to-most-as-firms-grapple-with-military-using-tech-as-weapons\/"},"modified":"2024-08-24T03:00:48","modified_gmt":"2024-08-24T03:00:48","slug":"chinas-robotic-dogs-still-a-novelty-to-most-as-firms-grapple-with-military-using-tech-as-weapons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tradetrovex.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/24\/chinas-robotic-dogs-still-a-novelty-to-most-as-firms-grapple-with-military-using-tech-as-weapons\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s robotic dogs still a novelty to most \u2013 as firms grapple with military using tech as weapons"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Beijing to Hangzhou, the sight of robotic dogs in a park is becoming more and more common.<\/p>\n

Climbing stairs? No problem. And what about hills? They can do that too.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Josh Yuan showed us his robo-dog in one of Beijing\u2019s<\/strong> fanciest shopping districts, guiding it through a crowd of curious onlookers with a handheld remote-controlled device.<\/p>\n

He paid \u00a31,300 for his new companion a few months ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think at the moment it\u2019s for people like me, or tech geeks and programmers,\u201d Mr Yuan said.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cBut I think in the future, it will be quite common and humanoid robots will definitely enter people\u2019s homes when they are more affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are dozens of robot<\/strong> companies in China. A few of them, like the Hangzhou company Unitree, are focused on robotic dogs.<\/p>\n

The Unitree team showed off their two latest models. One is a small dog, that can be used as a companion or dressed up in a dragon or panda costume for fun.<\/p>\n

They also have a larger model, strong enough to lift me on its back.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s designed for industries to use and can carry supplies, be sent into a fire or emergency, or be used to check pipelines and infrastructure.<\/p>\n

In May, however, robodogs received some extra \u2013 and unwanted \u2013 attention after China\u2019s<\/strong> state media channel showed them being used in training exercises with weapons firing from their back.<\/p>\n

The People\u2019s Liberation Army was using these gun-toting robots as they trained with Cambodian forces. But Unitree says the video came as a surprise.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s marketing manager, Duke Huang, explained: \u201cWe learnt about this from the internet, just like everyone else. We didn\u2019t know anything about it before that.\u201d<\/p>\n

These robots aren\u2019t designed for military use, but the video caused a storm.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t control how buyers use the dog after they buy it,\u201d Mr Huang says. \u201cBut we are thinking about how to prohibit military use in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

With drones already operating on the battlefield, could robodogs be next? Unitree doesn\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dog is not that smart, it\u2019s very simple,\u201d Mr Huang says. \u201cIt still needs my control to move. It doesn\u2019t have a brain.\u201d<\/p>\n

P W Singer, a strategist at the US think-tank New America who specialises in 21st-century warfare, says \u201calmost every advancement made with AI and robotics in the civilian economy is being mirrored on battlefields\u201d.<\/p>\n

He notes that \u201cmany of the uses of AI and drones in wars like Ukraine<\/strong> and Gaza<\/strong> are almost direct applications of civilian tech\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are only at the start of all this,\u201d Mr Singer adds. \u201cThe tech being used now is the early generations, the equivalent of the biplane in World War One compared with what aeroplanes would eventually become.\u201d<\/p>\n

A world away from war, mechanical canines are still considered a novelty or a toy.<\/p>\n

They can run at a top speed of 16 miles per hour, roll over, shake your hand and bark out a few messages in English or Chinese.<\/p>\n

But in the streets of China\u2019s wealthiest tech-centric cities, these robodogs inspire a sense of awe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first saw it \u2013 it was magical,\u201d Hangzhou resident Silver exclaimed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

This post appeared first on sky.com<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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