Tencent releases new-generation robodog

Shenzhen-headquartered tech giant Tencent unveiled Monday the second generation of Max, its home-grown multimode quadruped robotic dog, sources from Tencent said.

The robot dog, equipped with advanced technologies such as terrain recognition and robot visual positioning, can identify complex terrain in real time and create maps of the surface, the company said.

The second generation of Max, Tencent’s home-grown multimode quadruped robodog, walks on uneven piles. Courtesy of Tencent

A video released by Tencent’s Robotics X Lab showed that Max deftly passed through an array of uneven piles with fine motion control ability and outstanding navigation performance.

The robot dog was seen walking, turning, spinning, jumping and standing on two wheels on piles, as it can precisely identify the center point of each pile.

The lab revealed that Max’s positioning precision accumulative error remains less than 1%, and its terrain recognition accuracy is lower than 2 centimeters while completing highly dynamic actions, such as jumps and back and forth turns.

Meanwhile, its newly added feedback-based landing detection capabilities enable the robot to accurately assess the landing status of its paws during highly dynamic movements.

Compared with the 2021 version, Max has completed numerous structural and electrical system optimizations, allowing it to maintain overall stability during highly dynamic motions.

The new generation robot also showed significant enhancement in movement efficiency, with a predictive control algorithm that combines optimal jump trajectory planning and real-time balanced motion trajectory planning.

Robotics X Lab, established in 2018, engages in R&D and application of robotics technologies, with its major research focus on mobility, dexterous operation and intelligent agent technologies. The lab is dedicated to researching and developing intelligent collaborative robots.

In 2021, Tencent’s first multimodal robot dog debuted, marking another accomplishment for Robotics X Lab following the launch of the robot dog Jamoca and a self-balancing bicycle in 2020.