U.S. Military Funding Contributed to Development of Chinese Robot Dogs
Chinese company Unitree Robotics, a major producer of humanoid and quadruped robots, has developed its successful robot dogs based on innovations initially funded by the U.S. military. According to a former U.S. defense technology official and three top researchers involved in the original project, breakthroughs in quadruped movement financed by the U.S. DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and other military programs were foundational to Unitree's designs. Unitree's $1,600 Go2 model, launched in 2023, has enabled the company to dominate the global quadruped robot market. One of Unitree's robots has even been featured on Chinese state television, armed and accompanying People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops during an exercise. This development highlights how U.S.-funded research can inadvertently contribute to the technological advancements of geopolitical rivals.