You might think that Unitree’s new A2 Stellar Explorer robot dog has cribbed its name from a space program, but that’s because, up until a couple of days ago, it was known as the A2 Stellar Hunter. The name has likely changed to make its advanced capabilities seem less threatening. It hasn’t worked. If anything, it has made the robot quadruped even more terrifying.
Folks like Boston Dynamics have been at pains to make their four-legged robots seem benevolent and helpful, mostly because that’s good PR. The truth is that while they can be used that way, they can also be retrofitted (or designed from the ground up) for combat. Unitree’s latest could go either way. It’s something you wouldn’t want chasing you because, based on its video overview, it’ll catch you.
That’s one Stellar Explorer
Unitree may not want to scare anyone with the bot’s name, but if you’re paranoid, you’ll immediately see why it was originally called the A2 Stellar Hunter. Whether the Stellar Explorer is front-flipping down stairs, performing acrobatics, crashing through glass panes, or climbing rocks with a disconcertingly spider-like agility, its fearsome capabilities are something we would expect to see on a modern battlefield. Or, to be entirely fair, in the unmanned phases of a lunar or Martian expedition.
The A2 Stellar Explorer also features a fearsome range and top speed packed into its 37kg metal frame. It’ll manage twenty kilometres on a charge, or five hours of powered-on time per charge. That’s enough to turn it into a package delivery drone, sure, but it would also make an impressive guard dog. Its top speed, without a payload, of 18km/h (or five metres per second) would help with that last point.
Fully loaded — it can carry up to 25kg at a time and supports a standing load of 100kg — it’ll reach a distance of 12.5km before needing its hot-swappable batteries swapped. Versatile possibilities exist in Unitree’s four-legged robot that extend beyond making sure no burglar ever comes near your home again. The thought of a Stellar Explorer crashing through a glass door, blaring ‘INTRUDER ALERT’ with a little red siren mounted on its back is one that won’t quite depart.
Pricing for the A2 Stellar Explorer (and its obligatory ‘Pro’ cousin) hasn’t been made public. Unitree’s website simply tells prospective industrial buyers to ‘contact sales’ for their enquiries. Based on the performance video, we’d imagine their inboxes are blowing up right now. Not literally, hopefully.
