Xiaomi’s Color-Changing CyberDog 2 Is Cheaper and More Capable Than Sony’s Aibo
08/16/23
Alongside the third iteration of its folding smartphone, this week Xiaomi also announced a major update to its robotic quadruped, CyberDog 2. Upgraded features include the addition of a head, movements that are promised to be more like a real dog’s and a color-changing outer wrap courtesy of electronic paper makers, E Ink.
To date, while most robotic quadrupeds, including Boston Dynamics’ Spot, look vaguely dog-like, their designs are geared more towards industrial applications like surveillance, search and rescue, and, let’s not beat around the bush here, military and law enforcement uses. Most robodogs look more suited to carrying around a rocket launcher or a flame thrower than as a replacement for the family pet.
The one exception was Sony’s robot dog Aibo, which first debuted in 1999, but returned again in 2018 with even more advanced capabilities. Created first and foremost to be an electronic companion, Aibo looked like a robot dog right out of The Jetsons, and so endeared itself to owners that many held actual funerals for their Aibos when they stopped functioning after Sony ended production of replacement parts. That seems to be the level of engagement that Xiaomi is hoping for with its CyberDog 2.
Xiaomi compares the size of its CyberDog 2 to a Doberman, although it’s more lightweight at just 20 pounds. That’s slightly smaller than the original CyberDog, which debuted back in 2021.
A more obvious upgrade is the addition of a head, with a design that looks very much influenced by older models of Sony’s Aibo, including the ERS-210, which many mistook for being a cat.
Hidden away inside the CyberDog 2 are 19 sensors facilitating vision, hearing, and touch sensitivity, which include four microphones for AI-powered voice recognition, a depth-sensing camera, a time-of-flight sensor, and a laser sensor that helps CyberDog 2 autonomously navigate its surroundings without running into things.
Xiaomi promises that upgraded actuators have improved CyberDog 2’s dexterity, and showed off some cute tricks including the robodog riding and steering a skateboard by leaning from side to side, as well as doing continuous backflips while sticking the landing every time. Using AI simulations of the movements of real dogs, Xiaomi also claims that CyberDog 2’s movements are more realistically canine-like than its predecessor’s.
However, unlike Aibo, which Sony pre-programmed with very dog-like behaviors, including chasing a ball, CyberDog 2 appears to be more of a blank slate. It can be manually operated using a Bluetooth remote or a smartphone app. This lets it perform a basic array of tricks and respond to several voice commands, but it also runs Ubuntu and ROS 2 (Robot Operating System). That makes it “as open-source as possible,” according to Xiaomi, in order to encourage developers to expand its capabilities.
CyberDog 2’s weirdest new skill might be its ability to change color on demand. Like the BMW i Vision Dee that debuted at CES 2023, earlier this year, CyberDog 2 is wrapped in E Ink’s flexible Prism electronic paper, allowing it to cycle through a series of basic color options. It’s not an especially useful skill, however, unless you’re really pining for an electronic golden retriever.
Like its folding Mix Fold 3 smartphone, Xiaomi’s CyberDog 2 is currently only available in China, and the company has revealed no plans for a larger international release. That’s unfortunate, because with a 12,999 yuan price (or around $1,785 after currency conversion at time of writing), the CyberDog 2 is relatively affordable as far as robodogs go. The company, or a clever third party developer, could potentially turn it into a genuine Aibo competitor at that price point.
