, March 13 -- As the first light of day touched Taishan Mountain in eastern China's Shandong Province, a metallic quadruped robot scaled the treacherous "Eighteen Bends," a 1,460-meter path, with a storage box strapped to its back.

While hikers labored to catch their breath, the agile robot skillfully navigated around crowds, balancing itself and effortlessly hauling a 120 kg load up the 45-degree slope. A video of the scene quickly went viral on Chinese social media.

Deployed by a logistics company under the Taishan Cultural Tourism Group, this AI-powered robotic dog assists in cleaning up tourist waste and transporting goods, cutting down on logistics costs in the Taishan scenic area.

With 8 million visitors generating 24,000 tonnes ...