Scientists at MIT's Biometrics Robotics Lab have now trained their robotic Cheetah to see and jump over hurdles as it runs, making this the first four-legged robot to run and jump over obstacles autonomously. The cheetah's previous greatest accomplishment was that it was able to run untethered.

MIT researchers Hae Wong Park, Patrick Wensing, Sangbae Kim first tested the robot's agility on a treadmill in their lab and then let the robot off its leash to see if the robot ca run and jump on its own. The Cheetah, which weighs about 70 lbs, cleared 18-inch hurdles while moving at a speed of 5 mph. The robot can run at 13 mph of a flat course.

The MIT will showcase the robot's new skills at the DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals in California on June 5-6.

The Cheetah project is funded by DARPA's Maximum Mobility and Manipulation division.

Video courtesy of MIT Biometrics Lab, Hae Wong Park and Sangbae Kim.

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