OutRunner Robot Outruns The Average Humans

Unless you are Usain Bolt, the fastest man on the earth across the length of 100 meters, chances are you would not be able to last the searing pace against this little robot that could. Known as the OutRunner, perhaps its half dozen legs that has a look of a wagon wheel would creep you out at first, until you appreciate the kind of engineering and design that went in to make it outrun most people.

The OutRunner was designed by Robotics Unlimited in Florida, and is currently on the lookout for funding on Kickstarter. It is hoped that the novel locomotion technique will be able to draw robot and remote control hobbyists to its clarion call, in order to make it realized. The OutRunner would spin forward, allowing it to take weight off the current spoke or leg before passing it to the next. Of course, prior to the first spoke actually leaving the ground, it will offer a little push, helping propel the robot forward. I guess it is somewhat akin to how we run, albeit it has the advantage of another four legs.

Since it spins, it would remain stable like a bicycle or motorbike, allowing you to steer it with a controller or smartphone app. During tests, the OutRunner managed to break the world speed record for legged robots at 45 mph.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Robots
Tags: Crowdfunding, Kickstarter, outrunner