Category: Chinese robot
Video: Why is a Chinese robot chasing wild boars in Poland?
A popular Chinese robot is going viral for a video showing it chasing wild boars, but many aren’t sure why that happened.
The robot itself, nicknamed Edward Warchocki, is a Unitree G1 model available for public purchase that popped up in Poland.
‘Older ladies or gentlemen love talking with him.’
The Chinese-made robots go for a whopping $23,809 for the basic model, all the way up to $58,365 for the “ultimate edition.”
Recently, this particular model was seen running through the streets of Warsaw, Poland, chasing wild boars. While hilarious, there is actual serious context behind the content.
Major Polish cities like Krakow have endured a sprawling wild boar issue — even in city centers — for years, resulting in authorities urging their population to resist feeding the somewhat approachable beasts.
Other cities have resorted to planting flowers with vivid colors and sweet scents in order to deter the pigs.
Since at least 2019, there have been warnings of disease allegedly spread by the animals, resulting in calls for culls and elimination of thousands of them that have reportedly carried illnesses like African swine fever and Hepatitis E.
Enter Edward the robot, who was recently seen shooing the animals away from downtown Warsaw.
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– YouTube
As reported by Interesting Engineering, Edward is a Chinese humanoid that operates mostly on its own. It is not controlled remotely and is described as unscripted. Therefore it reacts dynamically to its surroundings and engages in adaptive dialogue in Polish using AI.
Edward is most popular with Polish Boomers, its owners say, as they are excited to interact with a robot for the first time.
Radosław Grzelaczyk and business partner Bartosz Idzik started in cryptocurrency, but they now try to create viral videos with their robo-friend.
“Personally, the sight of this robot chasing boars does not surprise me anymore,” Grzelaczyk told TVP World.
“Older ladies or gentlemen love talking with him,” Grzelaczyk added. “These people are always delighted that they lived to see times in which robots move through the streets.”
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Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
In China, the robots have been shown to be capable of advanced feats. Last year, they competed in a half-marathon and were showcased in February performing kung-fu, gymnastics, and weapons work.
The focus during China’s annual CCTV Spring Festival gala was innovation in multi-robot coordination and fault recovery, referring to a robot’s ability to get up after tumbling down. China showed the robots in choreographed performances and dancing as well.
Definitive warning signs of spying from Chinese robot manufacturers exist too. Axios reported on two security researchers who reported on Unitree Robotics allegedly pre-installing a backdoor on its Go1 robot dogs that allowed for customer surveillance.
Other research warned about exploits that allowed for remote takeover of the humanoid bots, among other models.
Neither Edward nor his owners responded to Return’s request for comment.
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