Chinese dog robot sets 100m running record

Hangzhou startup Mirror Me introduces a four-legged robot that can run 100 meters in less than 10 seconds, pushing the limits of robotics. Black Panther 2.0 dog robot is the result of cooperation between Mirror Me and the Humanoid Robot Innovation Institute of Zhejiang University, Interesting Engineering reported on January 16.

Black Panther 2.0’s design is based on the claws and joints of jerboas and black panthers, helping to enhance the robot’s high-speed mobility by focusing on strength, endurance, adaptability, flexibility and Exactly. With the new robot model, the research team hopes to surpass real animals in terms of speed and mobility. In 2023, a four-legged robot named HOUND set a Guinness World Record for the fastest robot to run 100 meters on all four legs with a time of 19.87 seconds.

Robot Black Panther 2.0 weighs 38 kg and is 0.63 m tall, can run 100 m in under 10 seconds. It uses springs in joint positions to absorb shock and maintain speed. According to Xinhua, the robot’s lower legs are made of carbon fiber, modeled after jerboas, causing stiffness to increase by 135% but weight only increased by 16%. The cheetah-inspired claws contribute to a 200% increase in grip.

With the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, the robot adjusts its posture to different terrains by synchronizing its limbs for rhythmic movement, using the idea of ​​a pendulum clock. Huygens. The robot’s outstanding durability and precision come from high power density motors, paving the way for future industrial applications. Currently, Black Panther 2.0 is one of the fastest and most efficient 4-legged robots. “Through combining software and parts, we created a prototype within three months,” said Wang Hongtao, director of the research institute and professor at Zhejiang University.

While still slower than the fastest animals on land like cheetahs, ostriches and wildebeests, Black Panther 2.0 can now outrun most humans in a sprint. The research team wanted to understand how robots and organic objects move differently.

HOUND, the previous record-holding robot, was developed by the Dynamic Robotics Control and Design Laboratory at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejeon, South Korea. Weighing 45 kg, HOUND has an ultra-light specialized foot specifically for sprinting. Its hip and knee actuators are aligned in parallel with a lumbar pulley system that drives the knee to the joint. The HOUND development team emphasized the importance of the motor. According to them, stable performance is the key factor in choosing a motor for a machine with legs.