Waltham Lab Creates Fastest Legged Robot Ever
WALTHAM (CBS) - Engineers in a Waltham lab are creating a metal version of the fastest animal on land. It's a cheetah-robot, and at 18 miles per hour, it has already broken the record for the fastest legged robot ever.
"Our goals are certainly better than 20 miles per hour with this machine. Next generation machine we hope is going to go faster," says Al Rizzi, of Boston Dynamics.
So far, the company is one-third of the way into its project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. Not only is it fast, its four legs can take it to places other machines can't get to. Engineers plan to spend the next two years perfecting the cheetah's balance and equipping it to work outside in rugged weather and terrain.
"It has military applications in terms of serving as a scout robot for a unit. It also has interesting applications for civilian search and rescue and emergency response," says Rizzo.
WBZ-TV's Christina Hager reports
