DARPA Cheetah Robot Runs 28.3 Mph: There Is No Escape

The gang over at DARPA likes to work on some really wild projects from time to time. The part that impresses me the most about some of the wild projects DARPA works on or funds is that the researchers actually get many of them to work. One of the things that DARPA has been pushing hard on is robotics in an attempt to design robots for the military and other applications.

One robot design that DARPA has been funding is called the Cheetah and it's a robot that might eventually be used to carry gear into combat. Cheetah is a four-legged robot designed to mimic the real animal in how it moves. Cheetah isn't as fast as its namesake mammal, but it's getting closer.

The cheetah robot has now set a record by running 28.3 mph. What that means is should the cheetah robot ever decide to take over the world, you won't be able to outrun it. In fact, the fastest runner on Earth, sprinter Usain Bolt, wouldn't even be able to outrun Cheetah.

Bolt has been able to hit a top speed briefly of 27.78 mph making it a close race, but Cheetah would win. When the robot apocalypse comes, take solace in the fact that you don't necessarily have to outrun Cheetah, just be willing to trip the person next to you. Cheetah's record for all-out speed previously was only 18 mph. It's also worth noting that Cheetah set its speed record running on treadmill with no drag and requires power supply that is external and not carried by the robot.

[via Wired]