Called CyberDog 2, this robot dog from Xiaomi has a completely new design that resembles a real dog much more, from the shape of the joints to a more streamlined design, in which the body and head are completely new. The head is now resting on the neck.
At 8.9 kg, CyberDog 2 is 40% lighter than its predecessor. At the launch event, the Chinese company asserted that the new model resembles a real dog much more than the first generation CyberDog, with an appearance modeled after the Doberman Pinscher. The dog has a total of 12 servos so all four limbs can move independently of each other.
CyberDog 2 at its launch.
CyberDog 2 has a 13 MP camera that uses AI for object recognition, alongside a 1MP RGB camera, a 146-degree fisheye camera, and an Intel RealSense D430 depth camera for spatial awareness. Four microphone arrays combined with AI voice recognition allow the dog to respond to commands. The touch sensor ensures that the dog notices when it is being stroked.
CyberDog 2's software is open source, so the robot dog's capabilities can also be further developed by developers outside of Xiaomi. Robot dogs can walk next to their owners, avoid obstacles, perform backflips or skateboard. If the dog turns over, it can get back up on its own.
CyberDog 2 is based on a 6-core ARM Nvidia Carmel processor and an Nvidia Volta GPU with 48 tensor cores for software processing. The 97.2 Wh battery allows the robot dog to run for 90 minutes, a full charge takes 90 minutes. Users can establish a dog connection with their smartphone via Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 5 to control the dog.
Xiaomi CyberDog 2 will be launched in China for around 1,640 EUR. The manufacturer has not yet confirmed whether the robot dog will launch in countries around the world. The company seems to position the robot dog as a developer platform and recommends that consumers not buy it without real knowledge.
