Researchers teach robotic cheetah the running jump — VIDEO

While it is completely natural for human beings and other animals to walk and jump, replicating those processes robotically is one of technology’s greatest challenges.

Which makes teaching a robotic cheetah how to see and jump over obstacles while running is a huge accomplishment in the world of robotics.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been able to train their robotic cheetah not only how to run, but how to see obstacles in its path and jump over them. Their creation has become the first four-legged robot to run and jump over obstacles autonomously.

The process is completed through the development of three real-time algorithms implanted in the robot’s computer. The algorithms code the complicated tasks of seeing the object, adjusting steps before the obstacle, then finally selecting the correct amount of thrust needed to jump over the hurdle.

You can read about the processes that make the system work at MIT’s official website.

In previous videos, the researchers explained that technology developed from the robotic cheetah could lead to practical advancements in the modern world, specifically in prosthetics.

Contact Ron Paul Gavino at rgavino@reviewjournal.com. Find him on Twitter: @rp_gavino.