By Andy Walker
Sure, it won’t clean your carpets, but it can apparently do a mean backflip.
- Xiaomi has announced its first quadruped robot in the form of a mechanical dog.
- The aptly named CyberDog features a brain by Nvidia, a host of sensors, and servos made by Xiaomi. It also uses open-source algorithms.
- Xiaomi is giving 1,000 examples of the robot to developers, engineers, and fans, but thereâs no word on general availability.
After stamping its authority on the smartphone world and announcing its electric cars plans, Xiaomi is jumping head-first into the robotics space. At its Mi Mix 4 launch on Tuesday, the company announced a surprise new addition to its device bouquet â a new quadruped robot companion called CyberDog.
CyberDogâs specs
Letâs start with the processing power. CyberDogâs âbrainâ consists of Nvidiaâs hefty Jetson Xavier NX module, which packs 384 CUDA cores, 48 Tensor cores, six Carmel CPU cores, and two cores dedicated to deep learning. This module grabs and crunches information from CyberDogâs 11 sensors which enables and informs the robotâs movement through the world. That movement uses Xiaomiâs custom-developed servos to perform tricks like backflips and other âhigh-speed movementsâ at up to 3.2m/s (11.5 km/h or 7.15 mph).
The sensor array also utilizes several cameras positioned on the robotâs body. This includes an Intel RealSense D450 depth sensor which enables object tracking and obstacle avoidance. Xiaomi explains that this allows CyberDog to follow its owner and avoid pitfalls, much like a real dog.
Speaking of which, CyberDog also responds to verbal calls. The robot can be activated using a wake word, or controlled by others, while other voice commands and assistants are also compatible. Thereâs plenty of I/O available, too, including three USB-C ports and an HDMI port. This allows developers to add-on hardware or onboard their own software cocktails.
CyberDog price and availability
Itâs unlikely that youâd want a robotic dog in your home, but Xiaomiâs CyberDog seems a proof of concept more than anything else. The company is dishing out 1,000 CyberDogs to engineers, enthusiasts, and fans to kick-start its own open-source robotics developer community. These first 1,000 units will be sold for 9,999 yuan (~$1,542).
Thereâs no word if or when Xiaomi will release CyberDog to the public. For now, the robotâs availability seems to be limited to this initial rollout. But donât fret. If you really want a Xiaomi robot companion, you can always grab a vacuum cleaner. And if you want a pet, maybe get a real dog?