Shenzhen-based robotics company Dobot has unveiled a lifelike robotic recreation of Sinosauropteryx – a small, feathered dinosaur that lived around 130 million years ago – in its latest push to broaden commercial applications of robotics beyond humanoid forms.
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The company said in a statement on Monday that the machine, powered by multimodal interaction, environmental perception and motion-control technologies, could “walk, breathe, emit low murmurs and interact intelligently with its surroundings and visitors”.
The Hong Kong-listed company said the device was aimed at tourism and education markets, such as museums, classrooms and theme parks.
Dobot was drawn to the Sinosauropteryx, discovered in 1996 in Chaoyang, Liaoning province, as its first model because of its significance as the first feathered dinosaur fossil ever found.
The company plans to reuse the same robotic core to create other ancient, mythological or cultural figures simply by changing the exterior “skin” and appearance. It did not disclose pricing or orders for the new model.
The initiative highlights how China’s robotics industry is seeking to diversify its applications and generate new revenue streams beyond industrial use.
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