Giant robot that smashes through walls can be yours for $650,000

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In case you missed it, you can buy a giant $650,000 robot that can crabwalk and smash through walls. Coming in at twice the height of its human creator, the GD01 has been built by Unitree, a Chinese startup that has designed other robots able to do parkour and martial arts. The GD01 can be controlled remotely but also has a seat for a human operator. Exciting as it sounds, the GD01 looks to be not much more than an expensive publicity stunt: although it is very much a real product, Unitree’s robots lack the dexterity needed to perform many human tasks, particularly in complicated environments. The walls in question are also only cinder blocks. But integrating destructive tendencies as a design function, rather than flaw, may be the way to go.