- Xiaomi’s $3K CyberDog 2 wows with backflips and skateboarding but lacks the emotional connection.
- Its robotic features betray its attempts at companionship.
- Adopting a shelter dog remains a more fulfilling choice.
Xiaomi’s CyberDog 2 revealed
Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi has unveiled CyberDog 2, an upgraded version of its robot dog, at MWC 2023.
With pointy ears resembling a Doberman’s, it looks friendlier than its predecessor but is still no Sony Aibo.
The new CyberDog can dance, shuffle, and impressively do backflips off a skateboard.
Priced at $3,000, nearly double the original, Xiaomi positions CyberDog 2 as a home robot. But its dystopian K9 aesthetic makes it unlikely to replace real pets anytime soon.
Promotional videos of CyberDog 2 speaking are aimed at highlighting its verbal skills, though a true canine substitute this does not make.
High-tech, emotionally lacking
While advanced in locomotion and able to walk, flip, and even skateboard, CyberDog 2 lacks the true companionability of a living dog.
Its rigid form and lifeless eyes are telltale giveaways that belie attempts to market it as man’s best robotic friend.
For now, those seeking an affectionate four-legged friend are better served to adopt a shelter dog than shelling out $3,000 for Xiaomi’s high-tech, yet emotionally vacant, canine doppelgänger.
