Four-Legged Cheetah Robot Now Runs Faster than Usain Bolt

DARPA managed to improve the skills of its Cheetah robot so it could register impressive running skills.

During trials the robot was able to show a land speed record of 28.3 mph (45.5 km/h) for a 20-meter (65.6 ft) split. The result is quite impressive, especially considering that fact that it surpasses the result of the fastest human on the planet.

The data from the International Association of Athletics Federations, in 2009 Usain Bolt managed to register the fastest speed for a human when he reached 27.78 mph (44.7 km/h) for a 20-meter split.

Built by Boston Dynamics under Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) program initiated by DARPA, the robot's goal is to help people in emergency situations. It can be useful in humanitarian and military missions.

The current version of Cheetah draws power from an off-board hydraulic pump and a boom-like apparatus is used to keeping the robot centered on the treadmill.

[via DARPA]