Xiaomi is a well-known tech giant in China. They have launched an open-source quadrupedal robot called CyberDog. The company says it "holds unforeseen possibilities."


CyberDog is the most recent example of a tech company embracing quadrupedal robotics. Spot, a machine created by Boston Dynamics in the United States, is the most well-known trend example. The "Spot" was sold for $74,500 last year and has been put to various tasks, including scanning dangerous mines and allowing doctors to communicate with patients remotely. Both law enforcement and the military have tried it, though not as a weapon.

It's unclear what Xiaomi has in mind with CyberDog. However, the business underlined the open-source nature of the machine's design in a news release, saying it would initially offer only 1,000 machines for "Xiaomi Fans, engineers, and robotic aficionados."
The first 1,000 devices will cost only 9,999 Yuan, or around $1,540 (though it's unclear whether this pricing would remain the same in subsequent editions).

CyberDog's "pet-like nature," including its capacity to respond to vocal commands and follow its owner like a natural dog, is highlighted in the same press release. However, based on the images of CyberDog, it's evident that Xiaomi isn't positioning the machine as a competitor to Sony's Aibo robot canine. While Aibo is petite and adorable, CyberDog is sleek, futuristic, and even scary.

CyberDog, according to Xiaomi, is agile enough to execute backflips, has a maximum payload of 3kg, and can trot around at 3.2m/s (compared to Spot's 1.6m/s). It runs on Nvidia's Jetson Xavier AI platform and includes a variety of cameras and sensors. The features include:
Touch sensors.
A GPS module.
An ultra-wide-angle fisheye lens.
Intel's RealSense D450 depth-sensing camera.
The robot can navigate semi-autonomously thanks to these components.

Xiaomi says, "CyberDog can analyze its surroundings in real-time, create navigational maps, plot its destination, and avoid obstacles. Coupled with human posture and face recognition tracking, CyberDog is capable of following its owner and darting around obstructions,"
CyberDog also responds to voice commands, including recognizing wake phrases and directions, and it can be managed via a smartphone app linked to it.

The CyberDog also contains three USB-C connections and one HDMI port, which Xiaomi claims may be used to tweak the device's hardware. For example, the robot might be outfitted with lidar sensors, panoramic cameras, and searchlights, according to the business.

The release of Xiaomi's CyberDog is quite fascinating, though not necessarily as a product in its own right. Instead, it speaks a lot about the current robotics scene and the accessibility of this technology.

Read More: https://blog.mi.com/en/2021/08/10/xiaomi-launches-cyberdog-an-open-source-quadruped-robot-companion/