Chinese firm's robotic canine bow-wows mkt

High-tech B2-W scales inclines, fords rivers, even navigates rugged terrain with aplomb

Chinese tech firm Unitree Robotics unveiled its flagship quadruped robot in a jaw-dropping upgrade of industrial and acrobatic prowess, marking a bold move to challenge United States' robotics counterparts.

In a newly released video by Unitree earlier this week, the latest creation — a brawny, wheel-legged robotic dog called B2-W — not only walks but also scales inclines, fords rivers, and even navigates rugged and uneven terrain with ease.

Notably, it also performs advanced acrobatic stunts, such as stationary spinning with a stable stop, bipedal handstand rotations, and the ability to leap from a height of 2.8 meters unharmed.

Unitree said the B2-W has already been in mass production for a year, and can carry a payload of 40 kilograms.

As the race to integrate robotics into industrial workflows heats up, the B2-W stands as a symbol of China's ambition to lead the charge, industry experts said.

Wang Xingxing, CEO and founder of Unitree, said that he is optimistic about the commercialization of China's robotics industry, and predicts that within three to four years — certainly no more than five — the industry will experience its "iPhone moment".

Wang speculates that by the end of this year, "we might see the first general-purpose robot AI model emerge, setting the stage for a new era of robotics".

The International Federation of Robotics said China is by far the fastest-growing robot market in the world, with the highest number of annual installations, and it has had the largest operational stock of robots each year since 2016.

Marina Bill, president of the federation, said at a conference that about 60,000 industrial robots were installed in China 10 years ago, and their number has gone up to 290,000 now.

"Hardly any other country in the world has had that quick development. China's rapid growth shows the power of its investment so far, but it still has much greater potential in terms of automation," Bill said.

In addition to quadruped robots, China has already gained some momentum in humanoid robots.

Market consultancy Coherent Market Insights said that China's humanoid robot market is rapidly growing and is expected to clock in $2.9 billion in sales revenue this year, and is projected to skyrocket to around $46.31 billion by 2031, at a staggering compound annual growth rate of 48.6 percent.

Xu Xiaolan, former vice-minister of industry and information technology and a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, said that humanoid robots are expected to become another "disruptive product" after computers, smartphones and new energy vehicles.

"Currently in China, new technologies, products and formats represented by humanoid robots are thriving and becoming a pinnacle of global technological innovation, a new track for future industries and a new engine of economic growth," Xu said.