Dog Days

We've come across plenty of robot dogs over the years that can dance, speak using ChatGPT, or even assist doctors in hospitals.

But they all have one thing in common: they look like lifeless machines on four stilts.

In an apparent effort to put the "dog " back into "robodog," a Chinese robotics company called Weilan recently showed off an entirely new class of robotic quadruped called "BabyAlpha" — essentially half cartoon dog and half robot.

The company may have overshot its goal a little bit, though, ending up with an even more terrifying-looking machine that looks like it belongs in a "M3GAN"-esque horror flick.

Robot's Best Friend

The small robot canine has a spotted head, a cute little nose, and two floppy-looking ears.

According to the company's website, which we crudely translated using Google, the robot is "especially designed for family companionship scenarios."

"BabyAlpha likes to be by your side," the website reads adding that the little robot has "endless technological superpowers" thanks to AI. Not creepy at all!

Weilan is also targeting its pet as a way to teach children either English or Chinese or keep track of younger family members through a video call tool.

But we can't shake the feeling that BabyAlpha is exactly the kind of thing that kickstarts a series of unfortunate events in a shlocky horror movie.

In case you do trust your children to be around a BabyAlpha, the companion will cost the equivalent of around $1,700 when it goes on sale.

More on robot dogs: Oh Great, They Put ChatGPT Into a Boston Dynamics Robot Dog

The post This Cartoonish New Robot Dog Somehow Looks Even Scarier appeared first on Futurism.

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This Cartoonish New Robot Dog Somehow Looks Even Scarier