Chinese technology company Deep Robotics has launched a quadrupedal robot disguised as a Tibetan antelope, successfully blending into a herd. According to researchers, this attempt will help acquire closer images and data for Tibetan antelope behavior studies without disturbing the animals.
According to Xinhua News Agency and Science and Technology Daily, the world's first 'robotic Tibetan antelope' has gone viral online after closely observing and filming Tibetan antelopes in the uninhabited Hoh Xil region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
This 'robotic Tibetan antelope' is assembled from Deep Robotics' Jueying X30 quadrupedal robot and relies on artificial intelligence (AI) for learning and training, allowing it to traverse complex terrains such as snowfields, marshes, deserts, and rivers.
In terms of fur color and appearance, this 'robotic Tibetan antelope' is almost indistinguishable from a real Tibetan antelope, except that its movements are not as light and agile as those of a real antelope.
The Tibetan antelope is a national first-class protected wild animal in China, mainly distributed in the Sanjiangyuan area of Qinghai, Changtang in Tibet, and the Altun Mountains in Xinjiang. Every summer, they migrate collectively to Zonag Lake in Hoh Xil to give birth, an event dubbed one of the most spectacular hoofed animal migrations in the world. However, the true cause of this migration remains a mystery.
Due to the extreme sensitivity of Tibetan antelopes to humans, close-range study is difficult. The 'robotic Tibetan antelope' not only allows humans to enter the challenging environment of Hoh Xil in their stead, but also integrates into the antelope herd for close observation and zero-interference filming.
Researchers say the 'robotic Tibetan antelope' has broken conventional distance limitations for observing Tibetan antelopes and will provide more precise and reliable data for behavioral studies.