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The nickname of this robot is Topchik
While some Tyumen residents are buying purebred animalsthe cost of which sometimes reaches half a million rubles, others go further and order robot dogs from abroad. Such pets do not need to be walked two or three times a day, taken to the veterinarian or for grooming. He won’t bother his neighbors or wake up his owner early in the morning because he’s hungry. The owner will have only one concern – to connect his robot to the outlet on time. But whether such a friend can replace a real dog – we found out in this material.
This iron baby’s name is Topchik, he is only six months old. To be honest, it was bought by three people – the heads of a local IT school. This is where the unusual pet lives.
“Topchik lives in our IT family, he essentially has three owners,” says the dog’s owner Denis Krasnov. “He has gotten along very well with us.” All our students love this pet. Accordingly, we all take care of him. He has his place. He is very obedient with us. Well, the most important thing is that he absolutely and one hundred percent does not bite.
There’s always a crowd around the dog
People always take pictures of Topchik on their phones on the street
When Topchik is out for a walk, crowds always gather around him. Neither children nor adults can simply pass by it. Well, even animals react to the robot.
— When we walk and see dogs, we always approach them. But as a rule, dogs are afraid of Topchik. To a greater extent, they somehow avoid him. That is, they came up, sniffed, and that’s it, they walked away. And no matter how the owner tries to pull it up just to take a picture of two dogs side by side, a living one and a robot one, the living one still just doesn’t fit,” says Denis Krasnov. – People, on the contrary, always come up. We are always the center of attention. That is, if you are a media person or want to become one, then take yourself such a dog and take a walk around the city center. There will be a crowd of people around you.
Dog owners also love to arrange photo sessions on the city streets.
During one of these walks, a famous athlete approached our hero; he was just walking along Dzerzhinsky Street and broadcast live. The fighter not only filmed the robot dog and its owner, but also asked him to take a walk with the unusual animal. The Tyumen resident was not afraid to entrust his iron friend to the athlete.
— Our dog weighs about 15 kilograms. And when you are pushed by 15 kilograms of iron, it is quite unpleasant. Just so you understand, the force of the impact is such that if it runs up and hits a plasterboard wall, it will definitely break through it. That’s why we always keep Topchik on a leash when we walk. Although it would seem like a controlled dog. But why is that? We must not forget that this is a robot, not a children’s toy. While running fast, our robot dog does not have time to project the entire space. This is her first bug that we found. That is, if a person simply stands in front of him, the dog will recognize this as an obstacle and stop. But if she runs at a fast pace, then, accordingly, she may hit herself. A person can get injured, so everything happens under our control.
Denis Krasnov told us all the nuances of life with a robot dog
Why do you need a robot dog?
Such robots also have common features with real dogs. For example, they are trainable. Topchik already knows many different commands, but he can be “trained” endlessly. Unlike a real dog, it is easier to teach different tasks.
“We haven’t taught him to talk yet, because it’s not necessary for a dog, but he follows the commands that we tell him.” It’s very cool to have such a dog, say, in your private home. Because it can be programmed to protect the territory. That is, it will scan its space without moving, and if there are no foreign objects there, it will not do anything. But as soon as a foreign object appears, especially if it is in motion, then she will react to it. The owner will not only receive a signal on the phone, but will also be able to remotely look at what is happening through the eyes of the dog,” says Denis.
A dog’s eyes are a small camera on his forehead. And those in the form of ordinary eyes are just stickers for the beauty of the face
You can also go for a run with such a dog; it will be able to adapt to its owner. And more expensive and advanced robot models can also save. For example, carrying people out of hard-to-reach places or delivering cargo weighing up to 150 kilograms. But our Topchik is incapable of this.
“Once a stranger came up and asked: “Well, why is such a dog needed?” And I gave him a simple and understandable example: “You want to have something to eat or drink, but you’re too lazy to get up, so you asked your wife, and she put everything on the dog and sent it to the next room,” the Tyumen resident joked.
Such a dog can also become a dream come true for a child who has long wanted a real pet, but his parents doubted his responsibility. There is no extra dirt from Topchik, there is no need to ensure that food supplies do not run out, to keep a vaccination passport and other chores that cannot be entrusted to children.
Robot Specifications
Now let’s move on to the technical part. What are the pros and cons of such a pet? How expensive is this pleasure and what else do owners need to be prepared for?
— Speaking in terms of safety, the robot has no emotions. The robot dog will not get angry or be aggressive. All that can be considered in terms of her kindness, yes, she will do, she will follow your commands. She is executive. I don’t recommend sending children for a walk with such a dog alone. Because, most likely, your child, on the contrary, will be surrounded by people. The downside is walking in the rain. It is categorically undesirable, or it will need to be protected somehow. That is, this particular model has rather weak protection against moisture. Top models, of course, are already fully protected. Caring for her means simply charging her, because if she sits down during a walk, it is very difficult to drag her home. But she has a wonderful bag on wheels that you can use for a walk. But it’s better to just charge it. This doesn’t require much time; the dog charges like a phone – about an hour.
This is the dog’s place – a huge suitcase into which the robot is folded. The battery is removed at this time and placed on charge, like a regular phone
Denis Krasnov compared his dog to a robot vacuum cleaner, which also first draws a 3D space and remembers it to move. The dog has a sensor and a video camera. The robot is controlled both from a special remote control and from a phone. This is how Topchik determines who his owner is. But you can order her to just follow you, then the dog will walk next to you.
A fur coat was made to order for Topchik. The craftswoman was very surprised when she found out that she was sewing clothes for a robot
You can purchase different components for such a dog. For example, equip a robot with a flashlight so that it can walk along unlit streets without being afraid.
Now the dog knows about 20 commands: in addition to the classic “give me a paw” and “lie down”, he can dance, do yoga exercises, draw hearts in the air and much more.
Interestingly, the robot is not limited to any one set of knowledge. Its program is constantly updated, and a person who knows how to program can come up with new commands for it himself
This is what the command “give me your paw” looks like
Such a robot costs about 300 thousand rubles. Denis Krasnov warns that it is better to buy such things from official representatives of the manufacturer, because it is easy to run into trouble. For example, a robot may simply not work in some region, and there will be no one to ask.
This thing, which seems like a mouth to us, actually spins and is needed to cool the robot
Robots are being introduced into the lives of Tyumen residents. They are already replacing waiters in canteens, selling ice cream on the street and even defusing bombs.
The main news of Tyumen and the country is in the telegram channel 72.RU
In what ways might robot dogs change the way we approach pet care and companionship in urban environments versus rural settings?
D questions to encourage discussion and exploration of different perspectives on the topic of robot dogs:
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of owning a robot dog compared to a traditional pet dog?
2. How do robot dogs compare in terms of training and obedience to traditional dogs?
3. Are there any potential safety concerns with owning a robot dog, especially for children?
4. How do people react to seeing a person walking a robot dog compared to a traditional dog?
5. How do robot dogs differ from one another in terms of features and capabilities?
6. Does the cost of a robot dog justify its benefits, or are there cheaper alternatives?
7. How do you think robot dogs might impact society in the future?
