Robot cheetah is faster than Usain Bolt
Researchers have created a robot that can outrun the fastest man on the planet. What could possibly go wrong? Gulp.
We don’t trust robots. They lack souls, don’t require air or nutrition and are entirely indifferent to the cuteness of kittens. Plus they’re better than us at everything.
Take the Boston Dynamics Cheetah robot – which was featured in our 25 best real robots feature. Back then it could charge along at 18mph, but after some tweaking, the tech maestros at Boston Dynamics have managed to get this quadruped running at 28.3mph. Scared yet?
Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man (who we interviewed) has reached a top speed of 27.78mph during a 20-metre sprint, but we wouldn’t bet on his mortal muscles taking that strain for long.
Luckily, the robotic cheetah can only operate on a treadmill for the time being thanks to its power cable limitations – but with plans to make it portable early next year, it’s only a matter of time before we become a metal cat’s meaty snack.
[BostonDynamics via Dvice]
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Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
