A Robodog Just Ran A Full Marathon

A robot dog named RAIBO2, built by the South Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has made history by completing a full 26.2-mile marathon. This achievement marks RAIBO2 as the first quadrupedal robot to participate in and finish an official marathon.

The event known as the 22nd Sangju Dried Persimmon Marathon took place on Sunday and saw the robot cross the finish line in 4 hours, 19 minutes, and 52 seconds, slower than the human winner, who completed the race in 2 hours, 36 minutes, and 32 seconds.

The marathon is known for its challenging hills, including two 50-yard elevation climbs. These hills posed a particular challenge for the robot, which needed to manage its energy efficiently to avoid depleting its battery. Engineers had accounted for this by developing a “high torque transparency joint mechanism” that allows RAIBO2 to harvest energy on the downhill sections, compensating for energy lost during the uphill climbs.

Despite the slow pace, RAIBO2’s successful completion of the marathon highlights its resilience and the advanced engineering behind it. The robot’s endurance over the four-hour duration showcased the robustness of its design, especially in handling the repetitive impact of running.

While RAIBO2 faced competition from bipedal robots—such as “Tiangong,” a humanoid robot that recently participated in a half-marathon in China—its performance sets a new benchmark for quadrupedal robots. The engineers behind RAIBO2 are not stopping here. They plan to add autonomous navigation features to the robot and aim to improve its walking capabilities, with future goals including operation in mountainous and disaster-prone environments.