A2 Stellar Hunter: Unitree's new robot dog can dance, do somersaults and carry heavy loads – all at impressive speed

AI-controlled robots that box, play soccer, perform kung fu moves or even put away laundry – we’ve seen all that before. But someone taking you for a walk sounds rather boring. However, unlike low-cost models, Unitree’s robot dog offers more than just entertainment. Its primary function is to transport objects. The A2 Stellar Hunter is not only very fast but also capable of carrying heavy loads.

Compared to the A1 released in 2020, the A2 brings several significant improvements. First and foremost, Unitree now uses LiDAR sensors, giving the robot dog enhanced perception. It can now climb stairs with gradients up to 45°, and is also considerably stronger, carrying up to 66 lbs compared to the previous maximum of 15 lbs. However, this increase is reflected in its weight, which has grown to 82 lbs from 26 lbs. On four legs, the Stellar Hunter is only slightly faster at 8.3 mph versus 7.4 mph, but wheels can now be fitted to boost speeds up to 11.2 mph. The runtime has also improved: instead of a maximum of 2.5 hours, the A2 can now operate for up to 5 hours on a single battery charge (up to 3 hours when carrying its maximum load).

In the presentation video from August 5, the Unitree A2 Stellar Hunter can be seen not only doing somersaults and dancing, but also climbing, running down stairs and dragging heavy medical backpacks up a mountain.