Li Jie, executive vice president of the China Association for Scientific Expedition, said the technology is expanding researchers" observational capabilities in complex natural environments, bringing more places that were previously inaccessible or impossible to observe continuously into the scope of scientific study.

　　The value of robot dogs in scientific expeditions goes beyond testing performance in extreme environments. Their deployment is turning embodied intelligence into a practical tool for understanding and protecting nature, Li Yang, marketing director at DEEP Robotics, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

　　The company said its robot dogs have already been deployed in real-world outdoor scenarios including Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve in Northwest China"s Qinghai Province, the Arctic Ocean, Siling Co in Southwest China"s Tibet Autonomous Region and Ailao Mountain.

　　Analysts say changing terrain and complex ecosystems provide a natural test for robots" mobility, sensing and task coordination capabilities, while also offering valuable examples for embodied AI applications in real-world settings.

　　In a separate development on Monday, another inspection-assistance robot dog began operating at a container terminal of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in East China"s Zhejiang Province. The port said the robot has now been deployed across all container terminals in the Ningbo-Zhoushan port area, with cumulative inspections exceeding 20,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

　　The field deployment of DEEP Robotics" LYNX M20S in the Ailao Mountains is a meaningful milestone for embodied AI, Zhong Xiangyun, a robotics industry observer, told the Global Times on Wednesday. It again demonstrated that embodied AI is beginning to move from technological demonstrations to practical field use, Zhong said.