Chinese robot manufacturer Unitree Robotics has posted a video of the wheeled robotic Unitree B2, which can be imagined in the spirit of “how to spend the summer in the countryside.” In the video, the robot demonstrates the wonders of coordination and dynamics, moving across very rough terrain: from forests to ditches and along abandoned buildings. He also performs a number of breakdancing tricks, masterfully moving on two wheels and maintaining balance.
Image source: Unitree Robotics
Modern compact electric drives and electronics work real miracles. Until recently, bulky and clumsy robotic systems can now move on their own two feet, do backflips and rush like crazy off-road. If this continues, then the first version of the Terminator may be just around the corner. The authors of the franchise of the same name, it seems, were not very wrong in predicting the year when the machines rebelled. And although this is just a fiction, the behavior of the same Unitree B2 robot makes you uneasy: how is this possible?
The robotic dog confidently moves on both two and four wheels. He jumps from a height of up to three meters (on two wheels – from a height of two meters), overcomes ditches, streams with a pebble bottom, ravines and other obstacles, and all this without slowing down.
The Unitree B2-W robot dog was introduced a year ago. He is also able to move without wheels. Its maximum speed reaches 20 km/h. It can travel up to 50 km with a 40-kilogram load on its back (in the video, the robot carries a passenger over uneven terrain). When stationary, the robotic dog can withstand a load of up to 120 kg with its own weight of 75 kg. The company has several modifications of robots with a price around $1,600.