How U.S. military funding propelled China’s robot dogs

Synopsis The rise of Unitree, a Chinese company known for its impressive robot dogs, can be attributed to research breakthroughs funded by the US military. These innovations, which originated in American universities, have propelled Unitree’s expansion into the market. Unlike smaller US manufacturers, Unitree’s economical designs benefit from China’s robust industrial strategies, raising concerns about the competitive landscape for American high-tech industries. Washington: China’s Unitree Robotics – among the world’s biggest producers of humanoid and quadruped robots – based designs for its most successful robot dogs on innovations funded by the U.S. military, according to a former U.S. defense technology…