DARPA's Robo-Cheetah Is Now Faster Than Usain Bolt

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DARPA's Robo-Cheetah Is Now Faster Than Usain Bolt

Posted by samzenpus on Friday September 7, 2012 @12:07AM from the greased-lightning dept.

pigrabbitbear writes "The Boston Dynamics Cheetah just clocked a 28.3 miles per hour sprint on a treadmill, and it's heading outdoors soon. At that speed, it could edge out the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, in a dead sprint. (Bolt peaked at 27.78 miles per hour in his world-record-setting 100-meter dash back in 2009.) 'To be fair, keep in mind that the Cheetah robot runs on a treadmill without wind drag and has an off-board power supply that it does not carry,' admitted Boston Dynamics in a press release. 'So Bolt is still the superior athlete.' Nevertheless, the team hopes to drop these implements and have a freestanding speed bot by early next year. They're calling that model the WildCat."

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Wow a machine faster than a human. by jellomizer · 2012-09-07 00:11 · Score: 5, Funny

Wow! our advancement in technology to make a machine that and travel faster then a human! Amazing. Perhaps we can make a machine that can fly too.

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If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
1. Re:Wow a machine faster than a human. by CRCulver · 2012-09-07 00:23 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  The important thing about this kind of research is that the artificial solutions move in the same way as the biological models. That makes it easier to integrate them with biology. Amputees won't ever be happy to have lost a limb, but an artificial replacement that can outperform the original is a lot better than an artificial replacement that can do no more (and often does less) than the original.
  More fancifully, perhaps the Rat Things from Neil Stephenson's Snow Crash are now a possibility.
2. Re:Wow a machine faster than a human. by Forty+Two+Tenfold · 2012-09-07 00:25 · Score: 2
  
  The important thing about this kind of research is that the artificial solutions move in the same way as the biological models.
  Really?
  
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  Upward mobility is a slippery slope - the higher you climb the more you show your ass.
3. Re:Wow a machine faster than a human. by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2012-09-07 00:35 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I suspect that much of the interest is also because of our persistent desire to more efficiently perform rescue operations and/or slaughter the locals in some downright hostile terrain.
  Just as a pick-and-place provided with precise instructions and reels of neatly packaged and identical components can out-assemble a factory worth of nimble-fingered children; but couldn't beat a single freshman nerd at 'dig through the junk box and breadboard something', wheeled vehicles run like a bat out of hell on the terrain we lovingly build for them; but work increasingly poorly outside of that. At the cost of size and weight, larger wheels and/or tracks can muscle the problem a bit; but there are limits.
  Legs, on the other hand, are mediocre at moving fast over well behaved terrain; but scrambling up mildly alarming slopes composed of loose rubble is practically routine...
4. Re:Wow a machine faster than a human. by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2012-09-07 01:06 · Score: 2
  
  I imagine that the mere existence of Raven, and his 'thermonuclear second strike is just a stroke away' deterrence policy, would keep the proliferation types too busy attempting to find underwear not sodden with human filth and pure fear to be worried about a few stray RTGs...
5. Re:Wow a machine faster than a human. by Dyolf+Knip · 2012-09-07 03:50 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_hunting
  It's called Persistence Hunting, and it's awesome. There was a David Attenborough-narrated video of it on youtube that has been taken down, but basically they chase the animal for hours and hours. Being able to run isn't enough, you have to be able to quickly track it as well when it's out of sight. The upshot is that when you finally run it down, it's half dead with exhaustion already, and you can literally walk right up to it, spear in hand, and kill it.
  It's also a possible explanation for our relative hairlessness. Sweating apparently works better for cooling on bare skin.
  
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  Dyolf Knip
Neat but scary. by xclr8r · 2012-09-07 00:15 · Score: 2, Interesting

I thought it was kind of cool that the limbs did not really differentiate from their front rear pairs until the very end.

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Re:Why is there an arm on the far side... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-07 00:22 · Score: 3, Informative

RTFS: "has an off-board power supply that it does not carry"
In addition, if you watch the video, the arm prevents the robot from being smashed when it finally trips up at the maximum speed.
Re:Why is there an arm on the far side... by pushing-robot · 2012-09-07 00:23 · Score: 4, Informative

Or perhaps they didn't want the robot accidentally hurled into the back wall at 30mph?

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Re:Why is there an arm on the far side... by xclr8r · 2012-09-07 00:25 · Score: 3, Informative

It's the external power supply and probably holds the com lines kill switches and probably acts as a tether so it doesn't accidentally trample a grad student.

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Beware of those who profit off the docile and persecute the unbelievers.
Re:Why is there an arm on the far side... by usuallylost · 2012-09-07 00:36 · Score: 3, Informative

I watched the video a couple of times to try and determine that as well. It looks like the arm is freely moving. My guess is the purpose is to prevent it from flying across the lab and killing somebody when it fails. I’d guess that the power is coming in through the cables at the top.
If they ever make this work I can envision some scary things that could be made with such technology. Killer robots hunting people down seems a little more plausible every day. For now this company has managed, with their previous robot design, to make what is basically a $32 million dollar robotic replacement for a mule.
Power source is critical by CyclistOne · 2012-09-07 01:08 · Score: 2

How long could a robot like this run - and how fast - if it did not have an external power supply?
Re:Why is there an arm on the far side... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-09-07 01:09 · Score: 3, Funny

But the title says its a DARPA project, isn't trampling grad students the goal?
Where do I sign up? by fustakrakich · 2012-09-07 01:33 · Score: 4, Funny

Is there a number I can call to be placed on the national "Do not kill" registry?

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