After watching this video of Boston Dynamic’s Wildcat Robot, don’t be surprised if you find yourself looking on the right hand corner of your computer screen to check the date. No, it’s still 2013, but the scientists and engineers at the Massachusetts-based robotics design company have definitely made a leap into the future with their latest prototype named “Wildcat”.
So, what’s all the fuss about? Well, have ever been afraid of robots chasing or hunting you down – and no, we’re not talking about robots of the likes of Futurama’s Bender, but the stuff that sci-fi nightmares are made of.
The Wildcat is a quadruped robot based on the company’s Cheetah robot (see the second video below) developed with funding from DARPA’s Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) program. It has been engineered to run fast on all types of terrain using a blend of galloping and bounding to reach speeds of up to 16 mph [30km/h] on flat surfaces.
Talking about it is one thing, but seeing it in action is a completely different story, so go ahead and watch the videos below.
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