Unitree second-gen robot launches with integrated GPT

Chinese robotics firm Unitree has opened up preorders for an updated version of its robot dog.

The Unitree Go2, an enhanced version of its quadruped robot, Go1, features embodied large language model, GPT, so that it can listen to vocal commands and perform and respond with advanced AI.

This means it can make decisions based on information from its sensor, improving with the more information it’s given as it changes its code based on what it learns; “Making it the closest friend of its user”, the press release reads.

The second-generation robot dog’s performance is 30% better than its predecessor, the company claims. It can walk up and down stairs, it has a stronger sense of balance, it can jump, and it can do an array of acrobatic tricks such as a flip and a headstand.

The new model can scan and create 3D maps of places (using LiDAR) at a wider angle and uses HD cameras to navigate its environment in real-time. This means it can walk to the side and follow its owner while avoiding obstacles.

Although advertised as a digital companion, the dog can take off by itself with the help of 4G connectivity and a new app to be used as a controller.

This means that it can take on independent inspection route planning and shoot and record videos.

The UK Government’s Ministry of Justice recently revealed a proof of concept that uses the Go1 in a marketing capacity, while the German police force uses the robot dog to search for drugs.

Plus, the German fire service also use it to carry out surveys in charred buildings that are still too hot to be entered by humans.