Chief technical officer Nick Wirth with the new Labrador-sized robot dog, RS-01. - Picture: PA Photos

RS-01: The dog you have
when you're
not having a dog!

By John von Radowitz, LPS Special Correspondent

A ROBOT dog that is said to be the world's largest and most technologically sophisticated canine pet has been let off its leash by its designers in the United Kingdom.

The RS-01 is similar to a real dog in that it can understand and act on up to 60 verbal instructions, thanks to voice-recognition technology.

It can walk, perform tricks, sit up and beg, respond to being stroked and even recognise different coloured balls.

The RS-01 also has practical uses, such as allowing its owner to view locations remotely via an on-board camera, and to read e-mails. Acting as a mobile closed-circuit surveillance system, it can also play the role of guard dog, watching out for intruders.

The computerised canine was designed by experts at RoboScience, a company in England that specialises in robotic technology.

It is 82 cm long, 67 cm tall and 37 cm wide and is much bigger than any other robot dog produced so far.

A limited number of hand-made RS-01s will be produced to order, depending on the demand, and will be available at between 15,000 and 20,000 pounds sterling each. The design team is led by chief technical officer Nick Wirth (pictured) who used to work for Formula One racing team Benetton.

A spokesman for RoboScience said: "The RS-01 is packed with cutting-edge technology. It can learn tricks, track you down in your house and has sensors that can recognise different colours. If you pat or touch its paw, it will move.

"Other cyber-pets are the size of chihuahuas but our robot is the size of a Labrador.

"It's really quite a strange feeling interacting with it. The only things that are anywhere near as sophisticated are prototypes costing over a million pounds each. We achieved this in just seven months with a team of eight people and a six-figure budget."

The spokesman added that patents were pending for a number of advanced components in the robot dog that offered commercial spin-off potential.