Robots are destined to take over a lot of the jobs that humans currently do and so much work is being done to advance robotics that it’s only a matter of years before robots play a huge role in our daily lives. Robots can never truly be humans but they can have human-like capabilities, like this robot that Puma created which is capable of keeping up with the fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt.
This is part of an ad campaign created by the J. Walter Thompson ad agency. The robot is called BeatBot and several MIT engineers were involved in its creation. It features nine built-in sensors that enable it to follow the lines of a race track and run at a decided pace.
As the video shows, BeatBot is quite capable of reaching speeds comparable to that of the fastest man on earth, but it can be slowed down using a mobile app. The only difference here is that it can go longer at that speed as opposed to a human because robots don’t run out of breath.
BeatBot also features GoPro cameras on the front and back to capture some exciting footage as it leaves human runners picking up its dust. It can be used as a training device for athletes which is why Puma will first be providing it to its own athletes, including Bolt himself before it introduces the robot to other athletic programs this year.
Filed in .. Source: techcrunch