TECH

Chinese version of the robot dog Spot has a robotic arm

Unitree, sometimes called the Boston Dynamics of China, demonstrated a manipulator arm designed to be mounted on four-legged robot models. The component was called the Z1 – it is now a prototype, but in the near future the manufacturer has promised to release a robotic member to the market.

The handler is installed on existing models of Unitree robotic dogs and provides replaceable gripping mechanisms: rigid two-finger clamps, a soft three-finger handler and a pair of suction cups. All of this allows him to lift objects, open doors and tighten or loosen screws. The Z1 will be available in Air and Pro versions. In both cases, it assumes six degrees of freedom, possibility of collision detection, as well as support for the training system – just that the member shows the necessary movements to repeat them.

The Unitree Z1 Air is reduced in weight to 4.1 kg and a payload of 2 kg, while the Pro model weighs 4.3 kg and offers a payload of up to 5 kg. The manufacturer has not yet specified when the manipulator will be released on the market, its price is also unknown, but it promises to be relatively low: for comparison, the Unitree Go1 robot sells for $2,700, and its closest analogue, Spot, from Boston Dynamics, is estimated at $74,500.

Image source: unitree.com