At first glance, CyberDog looks similar to the Spot robot made by Boston Dynamics. Spot has been on sale since last year for USD 74,500, and has been used for many tasks such as surveying dangerous mines and helping doctors connect with patients remotely.
Last night, Xiaomi showed off its latest flagship phones and tablets, the Mi Mix 4 and Mi Pad 5. At the end of the event, Xiaomi introduced a surprise product, a four-legged robot called CyberDog.
It is not known what the main function of CyberDog is envisioned by Xiaomi. In its official statement, Xiaomi highlighted CyberDog’s pet-like behavior, including responding to sounds and following its owner like a real dog.
The concept of a robot dog that can become a pet is actually not something new, just look at the robot dog Aibo made by Sony. But CyberDog looks more futuristic and a little scary, not cute like Aibo.
Quoted from The Verge, Xiaomi says CyberDog can run at a speed of 3.2 meters / second, and weighs 3 kg. This robot can also perform acrobatic movements such as somersaults.
CyberDog is powered by Nvidia’s Jetson Xavier AI platform and is equipped with a number of cameras and sensors that help it move autonomously. These include a touch sensor, a GPS module, an ultra-wide fisheye lens, and an Intel RealSense D450 camera for depth-sensing.
“CyberDog can analyze its surroundings in real time, create navigation maps, plan its destination and avoid obstacles. Combined with human posture and facial recognition tracking, CyberDog is able to follow its owner and avoid obstacles,” said Xiaomi.
CyberDog can also respond to its owner’s voice commands, including recognizing words and wake-up instructions, or it can be controlled using a connected phone. This black robot is also equipped with three USB-C ports and one HDMI port.
Xiaomi said it will sell 1,000 CyberDog units for Mi Fans, technicians and robot enthusiasts. The first 1,000 units will be sold at a price of 9,999 Yuan or around Rp. 22.2 million, much cheaper than the Spot.
