Robots can do things that humans find impossible: load tons, go where no one can, solve complicated puzzles and overcome many other capabilities of our body. Today we introduce you to Cheetah, a robot whose main characteristic is its speed, taking the title of "the fastest robot in the world". We are going to tell you about this "animalejo" worth admiring.

Cheetah: the robot that achieves incredible speeds

The first thing to say about Cheetah is that it reaches 37 kilometers per hour if it is in a running machine. Although the fastest known human, Usain Bolt, reaches a speed of 44 kilometers per hour, that achieves maximum distances of 400 meters, while this robot runs without stopping.

Cheetah, developed by DARPA in conjunction with MIT, is not new, it has been in development for several years, but finally achieved something important: this incredible robot no longer requires a machine to move, but can do it outside the laboratory.

While being "unplugged" the speed of Cheetah is 16 kilometers per hour, we must add its capacity for small jumps, with movements similar to those of a rabbit. Not for nothing this robot moves using four "legs" with joints.

Having four legs means that they do not hit the ground simultaneously: the front ones touch the ground first, followed quickly by the ones behind. This helps you to push yourself and reach higher speeds.

Of course its name is due to the cheetah or cheetah, as they call it in some countries (please do not confuse with Wolverine ...). The cheetah is the fastest mammal in the world and, in addition to name, shares size and weight with the fastest robot.

How Cheetah works

We already told you about how Cheetah moves, but it is interesting to find out what is behind this robot.

Its creators, first studied the movements of several animals looking for the most effective for the body of the Cheetah robot. Based on that, they were generating algorithms to get the most out of each of its parts.

Cheetah is formed by four legs designed with a style called Kevlar tendon, which was first used in boots to protect and optimize the legs of a horse. In the case of the robot, the use of these artificial tendons increases its speed by 60% compared to other quadruped robots.

His legs are controlled through a kind of thorn. Researchers seek to improve the algorithm used, so that their legs touch the ground exerting less weight and, therefore, decreasing friction.

They also seek to find a balance between the momentum of the front and back legs, hoping that the least amount of time is suspended in the air. Researchers say that soon the Cheetah robot will be able to run at 48 kilometers per hour, surpassing the fastest human in the world.

Its battery, gives autonomy to move 10 kilometers, which will be improved in later versions.

The uses of Cheetah

For now, this robot has been an example of what to look for in technology that moves without assistance in different places; today Cheetah is expected to be more than an interesting prototype.

For example, thanks to its electric motor, it can use batteries with charge based on its own movement, jump small obstacles (which would make it suitable for complicated terrain) and be quieter than other existing robots.

Cheetah would only be the beginning of a new variety of robots that could take us very far, without needing to be there, transmitting what they see through cameras and arriving very far in a short time.

In a few years, Cheetah may be the protagonist of exploits, but it remains to be seen how its creators continue to improve their algorithm, always inspired by nature, taking the best of each animal.