China unveils high-speed quadruped robot capable of chasing people down

The world of robotics is certainly heating up with the recent showcase of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot and now Chinese company Deep Robotics' unveiling of its quadruped Lynx.

The company released a video on its YouTube channel showcasing the capabilities of the Lynx, such as its ability to navigate uphill and downhill terrain that is rough, rocky, and unstable. Lynx uses all-terrain wheels for hands and feet, and it appears the design has been inspired by off-road quad bikes but combined with traditional robotics. The video showcases the Lynx conquering uphill and downhill slopes at 50-degree inclines in a woodland setting while also being able to climb up a rock that measures 80cm from the ground.

Deep Robotics is an already established robotics manufacturer with the company's flagship products, the X20 and X30 models, already being adopted across various sectors such as security, exploration, and public rescue operations. Notably, X20 models were used to perform inspections on earthquake-stricken regions in 2023. The robots are capable of carrying out independent searches by themselves or also coordinated searches over an area, making them useful for gathering information on a location.

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"Teams working on emergency searches or for site exploration commonly face challenges such as insufficient site data and risks to their personal safety. That's where these robots can provide valuable assistance. The robots share the simplest and most useful information, which can reduce bandwidth communication costs while improving functionality, leading to better outcomes," said Wei Tang, head of algorithm engineering at Deep Robotics

The robot is both impressive and intimidating, as there are scenarios such as a group of these robots rescuing stranded and injured people, but then there is also the possible military application -- and unfortunately, weapons can be unmade and they are always used.