00:02In the race to mass-produce robot dogs, China is beating the United States.
00:08Philadelphia-based Ghost Robotics developed its Vision60 robots from Army-funded academic research in quadruped movement.
00:17The company wasn't alone.
00:20China's Unitree Robotics, among the world's biggest producers of humanoid and canine robots,
00:25based designs for its most successful four-legged machines on the same U.S. military-funded breakthroughs,
00:32researchers involved in the projects told Reuters.
00:35This is technology that at its core was developed at U.S. universities, funded by U.S. taxpayer dollars.
00:43Gavin Keneally is the CEO of Ghost Robotics, which has supplied the U.S. military with its Vision60s for surveillance
00:50and search operations.
00:51There were papers published, and then these papers were very closely studied by Chinese companies like Unitree,
00:58and these principles were put to work and then scaled in an exceptional way using amazing manufacturing and supply chain
01:06technology
01:06to where now you see companies like Unitree and other companies in China are shipping way more legged robots than
01:13American companies are.
01:15Unitree did nothing underhanded in using the research, which was openly published to stimulate progress.
01:21A common practice, but it helped propel the company to global market dominance.
01:26And the company's imminent Shanghai stock market debut has drawn frenzied demand.
01:33Unitree did not respond to requests for comment.
01:35It is said in public statements that its products are intended for civilian use.
01:40And in 2022, the firm, alongside U.S. companies, pledged not to weaponize robots.
01:47But another company's robotic wolves were displayed at a military parade in Beijing last year.
01:53And Chinese state television has shown an armed version of a Unitree robot alongside Chinese troops.
02:01Publishing U.S.-funded research presents a broader issue for American firms competing with Chinese manufacturing,
02:08which has developed at lightning pace over the past decade in industries critical to national security,
02:14backed by subsidies, and a tolerance for heavy losses.
02:18Here's Hugh Grant Chapman, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS.
02:24I think the biggest factor in China's advantage for developing its robotics industry is its massive industrial base.
02:33Its vast ecosystem of manufacturing, factories, and things that provide both kind of demand-side support for its robotics industry,
02:44as well as cheap access to all the components it needs to manufacture those.
02:49When I look at, you know, where the U.S. has fallen behind, I see that loss and hollowing out
02:54of the manufacturing sector
02:56as being a really big driver of why the kind of corresponding national security applications have fallen behind as well.
03:05None of the robotics researchers who spoke with Reuters advocated for keeping the government-funded research they participated in secrets.
03:12But, the researchers argue, U.S. policymakers should make it easier for companies to bring new technology to market to
03:20compete with China.
03:21Even then, the only way to escape China's chokehold on the robotics supply chain is to work with international partners,
03:29says Keneally.
03:30There's no way we're going to do this completely on our own as the U.S.
03:34We need to work closely with our allies, in particular, you know, at Ghost, we work very closely with companies
03:41in Korea, in Taiwan, in Japan,
03:43where they have some of this manufacturing and supply chain expertise.
03:47So, there's absolutely no path forward without them.
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