The bio-inspired robot, developed as part of DARPA’s Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) programme, is said to increase its stride and running speed by flexing and unflexing its back on each step, much like a cheetah.
The current version of the Cheetah robot runs on a laboratory treadmill, where it is powered by an off-board hydraulic pump, and uses a boom-like device to keep it running in the centre of the treadmill. Testing of a free-running prototype is planned for later this year.
McMurtry Spéirling defies gravity using fan downforce
Ground effect fans were banned from competitive motorsport from the end of the 1978 season following the introduction of Gordon Murray's Brabham...