Zhejiang University’s quadruped robot ‘reaches world class’

A robot dog developed by a Chinese university impressed the society for "the technology that has reached world-class levels," developers said. 

The 1-meter-long robot dog, Jueying, developed by Zhejiang University in East China's Zhejiang Province, has a height of 60 centimeters standing upright and weighs 70 kilograms. Its size allows it to carry 20 kilograms, Zhejiang News reported.

It can also jump, climb ladders, squat and stand up, according to the Zhejiang News. The report said in order to test its ability, people put steel tubes in front of it, but Jueying adjusted its steps and kept moving even if the tubes staggered it.

It is also capable of quickly reacting when it loses its balance. "Even humans cannot do that," the report said.

Zhu Qiuguo, the project leader and a professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Zhejiang University, said that Jueying's performance shows that China's quadruped robot has reached world-class levels, the Zhejiang News reported.

The fact that the robot dog can still stand up and react so quickly after staggering shows that Zhejiang University has made improvements to quadruped robot technology, because the core of such technology is the ability to maintain balance and self study, Luo Jun, CEO of the International Robotics and Intelligent Equipment Industry Alliance, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Aside from its aptitude in sports, Jueying can also use its "brain" to control its legs to prevent it from falling down again, research team member Zhang Jiangyuan told the Zhejiang News.

Jueying is equipped with the best operating system, which allows quicker information transmission, so it can quickly react, said Mo Xiaobo, another  team member.

China once had little experience in quadruped robot technology, but has made significant improvements in recent years, with many universities and research institutes vying with each other in this field, Luo said.

Once the technology matures, it can also be applied in the logistics industry, he added.