KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — Who needs real dogs when you can have futuristic robot canines?
In China, photos and videos of people walking their mechanical mutts in public places are becoming a more common sight.
Robotic dogs, Oddity Central reported, have been available on Chinese shopping platforms for quite some time but only started to catch the eye of the locals recently.
It stated that although described as soulless machines that can never compare to real dogs who love their owners unconditionally, there is no denying the advantages of robot pets.
And judging by the increasing number of people spotted walking their robot dogs in China lately, they may one day rival the animals they emulate.
Among the reasons cited for keeping a robot dog are they do not need to be fed and there is no need to clean up after them.
Owners are also not obliged to spend time with them and it gives them a hassle-free companion with less maintenance.
To date, most of the robot dogs have been spotted in streets of Shanghai and Bejiing.
Able to carry five kilogrammes of weight, the robot dogs can also adhere to commands such as follow, roll, sit and run.
A camera attached on the robot dog’s head allows it to identify and bypass obstacles and even recognise its owner.
The robot dogs retail between 15,000 yuan (RM9,759) and 100,000 yuan (RM65,064) depending on its build quality, built-in features, and battery life.
