I spent $4,000 on a Chinese robot dog so you don't have to

A $4,000 robot dog can do handstands and walk two miles to work, but it might dramatically faint on your porch if it gets too hot.

Ars Technica's Timothy B. Lee imported a Unitree Go2 Pro from China to see what consumer robotics looks like right now. The quadruped handled the two-mile commute into Washington, DC, but the 87°F uphill walk home pushed internal temperatures to 183°F. It collapsed on its back right outside his front door, light blinking red while its nose LiDAR sensor kept spinning.

Why it matters: Boston Dynamics charges around $75,000 for its Spot quadruped. Unitree built a functional alternative for $4,017, unlocking robotics research for labs on a budget and powering the company to a $34 billion valuation. It isn't very useful for house chores yet, but steep price cuts are how niche hardware turns into mass-market tech.

Think of it as a PC moment for robotics—just don't expect it to fetch your slippers.