Chinese robot dog can ‘guide the blind and protect home from intruders’ just like real pets

Chinese robot dog can ‘guide the blind and protect home from intruders’ just like real pets

A Chinese robot dog is being developed to guide visually impaired people and guard homes from intruders.

AlphaDog created by tech startup Welian in Hangzhou City uses sensors and artificial intelligence to perform tasks without being told to, just like a real dog.

It has four limbs attached to a body and without a head crafted from plastic and steel materials to let it easily move around.

Owners can set the robot to do a variety of activities through voice commands such as helping blind people reach a destination safely and triggering a barking-spree after detecting intruders.

Aside from its ability to carry out tasks through 5G technology, it is also among the fastest robots built so far as it could run at 9 miles per hour.

Welian’s chief technical officer Ma Jie said can retain its balance even when kicked by humans due to its design.

He said: ‘AlphaDog also can retain its balance even when kicked by humans.

‘It can determine the amount of friction and ground conditions to adjust its height, adjust its pace, and adapt to its environment.’ The pet robot is a cheaper counterpart of the American-made ‘Spot’ which costs 74,500 USD while the Chinese version is available for only 2,400 USD.

More than 1,800 AlphaDog units have been sold to customers who were mostly computer developers, tech enthusiasts, and children.