Man’s best friend has always been the domesticated dog, but mutts around the world could find themselves with serious competition in the form of Koda’s AI-powered robot dog.

Unlike other robot dogs on the market, the Koda artificial intelligence dog is intended to interact socially with its human owners. The robot’s AI helps it detect when its owner is sad, happy, or excited so that it can, over time, respond appropriately to human emotions.

This robot the dog can be a companion, a guide dog or a watchdog, accomplishing tasks thanks to Koda’s “decentralized blockchain-enabled AI infrastructure” that allows him to deal with complex problems and even acquire new skills, according to a official promotional video.

Decentralized artificial intelligence, also often called distributed artificial intelligence, is a subfield of artificial intelligence research that focuses on the development of distributed solutions to problems.

Block chain is a way to record and store information that makes it difficult to modify or hack a system. Blockchain does not store any of its information in a central location.

Instead, the blockchain is copied and distributed over a network of computers, which ensures that all robot data is secure, unlike the usual internet of things devices that are connected to a home network.

So, in the most basic terms, Koda’s decentralized AI social robot dog can respond to the behavior of its human owners by using AI to learn and adapt along the way while keeping its data private and un-hackable. .

The Koda robot dog is equipped with 3D depth cameras located on the front, back and either side of the robot’s body. There’s even a 13-megapixel camera on the front of the robot for taking high-quality photos.

The robot has a fully functional head and tail and uses 14 high torque motors with two motors on the neck for mobility similar to that of animals. The dog also has a high-resolution display and several sensors, including a foot force sensor. The robot’s microphone array has 97% accuracy for voiceprint recognition, Koda said.

“It’s a functional piece of home technology, a pet and a work of art all at the same time.” Koda CEO Emma Russell said in a report. “Those who seize this opportunity to be the original owner of a Koda will be able to watch its decentralized AI in action as it evolves from a puppy state to a robotic dog with the intelligence of a supercomputer.”

Not only does Koda’s AI robot dog look like a cool companion, it’s also a bit cheaper than the Boston Dynamics Spot Mini, who sells for around $ 75,000. Koda’s AI robot dog has a lower price bracket between $ 45,000 and $ 55,000.