Robo-Cheetah Runs Faster Than Usain Bolt (Video)

Usain Bolt is the fastest man alive, as he’s proved with world record times at the past two Olympics. But can a robot really outrun the sprinting savant?

Well, when you’re a Boston Dynamics built robot, apparently anything is possible. The Boston-based engineering and advanced robotics company has developed a new cheetah robot that can actually outrun Bolt, according to an NBC technology report.

The Cheetah, a four-footed robot powered by a hydraulic pump, was first introduced in February when the mechanical mammal set a new land speed record for legged robots by galloping at an 18 mph pace — breaking the old record of 13.1.

After a few months of adjustments, though, the Cheetah decided to go out for another jaunt and this time with the intent of running even faster. The robot, which is attached to a tether to keep from breaking when it stumbles at the finish, boarded its typical high-speed treadmill in the Boston Dynamic offices earlier this week.

In the robot’s most recent run, the Cheetah proceeded to increase its speed all the way to 28.3 mph — a full 10 mph faster than its February run and slightly faster than Bolt. The robot still runs slower than normal living cheetahs — like the one at the Cincinnati Zoo that ran the 100-meter dash at 5.95 seconds — but it wouldn’t be surprising if that also changed soon enough.

Check out the video of the lightning-fast cheetah in the video below.

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So, NFL playbooks are now on the iPad? I think I’ll stick to Angry Birds.

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Quote of the Night

“I don’t replay them in my head, I watch them on video.”

— Janko Tipsarevic when asked if he replays matches like Thursday’s loss to David Ferrer in his head