Cheetah-bot’s successful test run

Cheetahs are the fasted land mammal on Earth, capable of going zero to 60 miles per hour in a matter of seconds, and researchers at MIT have developed an algorithm to mimic the feline’s bounding at a sixth of the speed. The robot cheetah, dubbed cheetah-bot, can reach speeds of 10 mph and jump over obstacles 33cm high thanks to a new algorithm for bounding. Researchers from the Biomimetics Robotics recently took their sleek four-legged assemblage of gears, batteries and electric motors for a test run. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMKQbqnXXhQ Key to the algorithm is in programming each of the robot’s legs to exert a certain amount of force in the split second it hits the ground in order to maintain a given speed. In general, the faster the desired speed, the more force must be applied to propel the robot forward, an approach Sangbae Kim says is similar to the way world class sprinters race. “Many sprinters, like Usain Bolt, don’t cycle their legs really fast,” said Kim, associate professor of mechanical engineering. “They actually increase their stride length by pushing downward harder and increasing their ground force, so they can fly more while keeping the same frequency.” Kim says using this approach means the cheetah-bot can cope with grassy fields. The algorithm enables precise control over the forces the robot can exert while running, allowing it to run at higher speeds without falling. They hope to be able to make this current version of the robot reach speeds of 30 mph.