Cover image via Collin Rugg / X
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A new robotic dog from China is setting incredible speed records, with performance on par with the world's top human sprinters
According to IoT World Today, the four-legged robot, named 'Black Panther 2.0', reached a stunning speed of 20mp/h (32km/h) during a recent demonstration on a treadmill.
To put that into perspective, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt's 100m world record is 21mp/h (33km/h).
South China Morning Post reported that Black Panther 2.0 also outpaced Boston Dynamics' WildCat, another four-legged robot.
The robot dog is a collaboration between a humanoid innovation institute at Zhejiang University and the Hangzhou-based startup Mirror Me
The Black Panther 2.0 robot has undergone significant upgrades, including integrated carbon-fibre lower legs to boost its overall strength.
It also leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to adapt its gait and balance across different terrains.
While it can now outpace most humans in a sprint, it still lags behind some of the fastest animals on land, like cheetahs and ostriches.
The previous official Guinness World Record for the fastest 100m by a quadrupedal robot was set by HOUND
HOUND, a robot developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), recorded a time of 19.87 seconds in 2023.
The Black Panther 2.0 has unofficially smashed this record, with Interesting Engineering stating it completed a 100m dash in just 13.17 seconds.
Developers believe the robot has significant potential for real-world applications, including disaster relief and logistics, such as swiftly navigating through earthquake debris.
