14 DAY TRIAL // The Cheetah robot from MIT is one of the most advanced robots in the world, because it has actually attained a reasonable level of stability while running.
Meant to reproduce the way cheetahs, the fastest mammals alive, move, the cheetah bot from MIT's Biometrics Robotics Lab has achieved a speed of 13.7 miles per hour.
The cost of transport (COT, power consumption divided by weight, times velocity) is of 0.52. Quite small compared to the COT of other robots.
The efficiency is owed to the use of some electric motors rather than a hydraulic one. Biometric principles for conserving energy and reducing stress on the joints contributed to the COT as well. Kevlar tendons also helps (back of the legs).
That said, while the efficiency of movement and the speed have increased, the stability still leaves much to be desired. The Cheetah bot continues to rely on parallel support bars.