Unitree’s Compact AS2-W Climber Robot Rolls Through Ruins and Scales Steep Rock Without Slowing Down

Unitree Robotics just put a new machine into the world that moves like few others can. Called the AS2-W, this four-legged platform carries wheels on each limb and switches between rolling and stepping the moment the ground turns messy. The company presents it as a tool for outdoor work, inspection, and exploration, yet the same footage has already sparked talk about how useful those skills could become in far tougher settings.

At 25kg with the batteries installed, the AS2-W is still light enough to be hoisted by one person. It is strong enough to bear 150kg when standing still, but this lowers to roughly 16kg when moving, more than enough for a full backpack’s worth of gear, sensors, or supplies. It is 721 by 493 by 521 millimeters in height, making it small enough to fit through doorways or into a vehicle, and it folds down even smaller for transportation. 16 joint motors produce 95 newton-meters of peak torque apiece, powering the movement of both the legs and the large 7-inch wheels.

On open ground, it is preferable to use the wheels since its top speed exceeds 6 meters per second, which is more than 21 kilometers per hour. It won’t be doing that for long because its normal cruising speed is between 0 and 3.7m/s, allowing it to conserve energy for extended periods of time. When conditions get rocky, hilly, or bumpy, the legs take over. According to the specifications, the AS2-W can tackle 45-degree slopes and obstacles up to 80cm in height, and it will walk over 30cm stair steps with ease. Engineers estimate that the maximum climb height is between 0.4 and 0.8 meters, depending on the surface and the weight being carried.


A 648-watt-hour battery allows the AS2-W to run for more than three hours and travel more than 30 kilometers without carrying a load, but with the additional 16kg payload on board, it will be closer to two hours and 16-25 kilometers. That’s still fairly respectable for fieldwork. It also has an IP54 rating for protection, meaning it can withstand mild rain, dust, and becoming wet without breaking a sweat. It can function in temperatures ranging from -20 to 55 degrees Celsius, which covers most outdoor circumstances save extreme cold and desert heat.


The AS2-W contains an industrial-grade LiDAR with 64-128 lines and a high-definition camera for eyes, an 8-core processor for brains, and an optional expansion module that can add up to 150 TOPS of additional computing power if needed for on-board AI. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 are standard, with GPS and 4G accessible if you have permission to enable them. Unitrees’ ISS 3.0 system allows the robot to follow a person to within a centimeter or so, making it handy even when trailing after a worker or mapping the site.


According to Unitree, the AS2-W is suitable for security patrols, examining industrial sites, doing outdoor research, or just moving supplies across diverse terrains. There are two main versions, the AS2-W X and the EDU, and they can only be bought through direct contact because they do not sell in ordinary stores, therefore pricing varies depending on what you choose and where you live. According to one rumor, it will cost roughly $36,700, which is nearly half the price of a Boston Dynamics Spot, although actual pricing will depend on specs and region.