Run Cheetah! Jump Cheetah!
MIT researchers have developed an algorithm for bounding that they've successfully implemented in a robotic cheetah. Bounding is when the front legs hit the ground together, followed by the back legs. It’s similar to the way a rabbit runs, and it’s relatively simpler to imitate than more complex patterns of four-legged running, like trotting or galloping.
When tested on an indoor track, the robo-cheetah could run at a good clip of 10 miles per hour, and the researchers think that it could eventually reach speeds of 30 miles per hour. That still doesn’t hold a candle to an actual cheetah, which can reach speeds of 60 miles per hour in a matter of seconds — but it’s fast where legged robots are concerned.
The work, which was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is being presented at the 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems meeting in Chicago.
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