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China unveils rugged AS2-W robotic platform with advanced onboard artificial intelligence
Robot wolf climbs steep slopes while carrying heavy operational payloads
AS2-W combines wheeled mobility with advanced terrain handling capabilities
Chinese robotics company Unitree has unveiled its new AS2-W, an uncrewed ground vehicle on its official website.
The four-wheeled vehicle weighs 25 kg and can carry a stationary payload of up to 150 kg while sitting still.
It travels roughly 30 km on a single charge without cargo, or about 25 km carrying up to 16 kg.
Sensors and mobility built for rough terrain
According to Unitree , the AS2-W can climb obstacles reaching 80 cm high while traversing slopes of up to 45° without manual intervention.
The robot reaches speeds exceeding 6 m/s using industrial-grade joint modules delivering approximately 95 N·m of peak joint torque.
Unitree also says the platform uses a 648 Wh, 15,000 mAh battery capable of providing more than three hours of unloaded operation.
Its equipment includes industrial-grade 64- to 128-line LiDAR, an HD camera, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, 4G connectivity, microphones, speakers, and front lighting.
The AS2-W supports an IP54 dust and water resistance rating and is designed to operate in temperatures ranging from -20°C to 55°C.
Unitree also provides developer software tools, application programming interfaces, and support for artificial intelligence models enabling autonomous interaction and decision-making.
A demonstration video released by the company shows the robot navigating rocky slopes without losing its footing throughout the test.
The same footage shows the machine maintaining full mobility even after falling from elevated platforms during separate testing runs later.
Unitree describes the AS2-W as running a high-performance AI module capable of 150 TOPS, or trillion operations per second, onboard.
The company has not specified whether that processor is actually manufactured by Nvidia, despite widespread reports describing it that way.
Its ISS 3.0 autonomous navigation system is designed to provide centimetre-level positioning accuracy during movement through complex operating environments.
Military interest follows the armed version sighting
The People's Liberation Army has already shown interest in the AS2-W following its appearance during the Chinese-Mongolian Steppe Partner 2026 joint military exercise.
Chinese military reports indicated similar robotic platforms performed reconnaissance and fire support tasks during the exercise alongside conventional military units.
The public unveiling followed those exercises, although Unitree's commercial announcement focused primarily on the platform's technical characteristics rather than operational deployment.
The vehicle's onboard artificial intelligence enables object processing directly on the platform, potentially reducing delays associated with transmitting information to remote operators.
Its combination of autonomous navigation, onboard computing, and off-road mobility reflects broader interest in unmanned ground vehicles across several defence programmes worldwide.
However, the company has not disclosed the full operational limitations, endurance under sustained military use, or performance while carrying heavier payloads.
Unitree's YouTube video of this robot comes with the disclaimer, "Please, everyone be sure to use the robot in a friendly and safe manner."
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