Using LIDAR, a visual system that uses reflections from a laser to map terrain, the robot plans out its path, much like a human runner. As it detects an approaching obstacle, it estimates that object's height and distance, gauges the best position from which to jump and adjusts its stride to land just short of the obstacle, before exerting enough force to push up and over. Based on the obstacle's height, the robot then applies a certain amount of force to land safely, before resuming its initial pace.
In experiments on a treadmill and an indoor track, the cheetah robot successfully cleared obstacles up to 18in tall, more than half of the robot's own height, while maintaining an average running speed of 5mph.
"A running jump is a truly dynamic behaviour," says Sangbae Kim, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. "You have to manage balance and energy, and be able to handle impact after landing. Our robot is specifically designed for those highly dynamic behaviours."
Kim is now working on getting the robot to jump over hurdles while running on softer terrain, like a grassy field.
