Want to collect data on Tibetan antelopes? Why not become one? Or better yet make a robot that they can accept.

Somewhere in the Northwest of China, a 5G, ultra-low latency, -AI equipped bionic antelope roams the plains. This robot antelope is used to collect real-time data on China’s Tibetan antelope population, to study them without spooking them. It was designed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Hangzhou-based robotics firm DEEP Robotics

The animal’s overall body shape and fur color matches that of the near-threatened Tibetan antelope, although its movements are not nearly as graceful. It’s DEEP robotics version of Boston Dynamics’ dog-type robot, but theirs is called X30, and this one has half an antelope stuck to the top. The engineers must have done something right because, regardless of its odd gait, the antelope herd have embraced the robot as one of their own.

One benefit of this robotic antelope is the ability to approach the wild herd much closer than a human observer ever could. In fact, those human observers are stationed 2 kilometers away from the robot to collect the data it sends over 5G. With its sensors, the robot is able to capture footage, recording heard movement, speed. It uses a vision recognition system to track migration routes, feeding patterns, and animal growth in real time, as it is transmitted through backend 5G platforms and immediately analyzed. The robot is also able to tell and whether the heard is heading towards a road. In this case, it can signal traffic control to stop cars do the herd can so they can pass safely and avoid collisions.

On the plateau, the average altitude is around 4,600m, combined with strong winds, freezing temperatures, muddy slopes & rocky ground, this makes for an environment terrain that isn’t necessarily robot friendly. Luckily, the robot was designed for such terrain and does quite well. The Tibetan antelope acts as an indicator for the region’s ecological health, so collecting data around their ecological patterns is informative for the entire regional system.

Article: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/robotic-tibetan-antelope-in-china

As covered on a segment of the Daily Tech News Show on September 16th, 2025. For a more detailed discussion of the topic, listen here: