How U.S. military funding propelled China’s robot dogs
The link underscores broader problems with the United States' ability to compete with China's state-directed manufacturing sector in high-tech strategic industries.
China's Unitree Robotics, a leading producer of humanoid and quadruped robots, credits the U.S. military for the design inspiration behind its most successful robot dogs, according to a former U.S. defense technology official and top researchers involved in the project. The $1,600 Go2 model, released in 2023, has been instrumental in the company's rapid ascension to the top of the global quadruped robot market, with its Shanghai initial public offering attracting significant demand.
One of Unitree's robots has even been featured on Chinese state television, accompanying People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops during an exercise. These advanced robot designs are a result of breakthroughs in quadruped movement technology that were funded by the U.S. DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and other military programs.
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