YOU can run, but you won't escape... A robot named
Cheetah has broken the speed record for four-legged robots by reaching
almost 30 kilometres an hour (see the video at bit.ly/robocheet).
Much like a real cheetah, the robot
uses a short, hopping gait at low speeds before increasing its stride
and pace by flexing and unflexing its back with each step.
Cheetah is being developed by Boston
Dynamics of Waltham, Massachusetts, with funding from the US Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency. The current version of the robot is
powered by a hydraulic pump and has only been tested on a treadmill,
where it is tethered to ensure it stays on track. The firm aims to test a
free-running prototype this year.
Last year Boston Dynamics unveiled BigDog, designed as a military pack mule, and the humanoid PETMAN, which runs on two legs and can do press-ups.
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