While Usain Bolt still holds the record as the fastest human ever with a speed of 27.79 mph (44.72 km/h), robots are increasingly outpacing even the fastest athletes.
Two-legged robots are now reaching remarkable speeds. One of the fastest two-legged robots to date is the KAIST Raptor, developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), which mimics the running posture of a Velociraptor. Weighing just 6.6 lbs (3 kg), the Raptor can sprint at an incredible 28.5 mph (46 km/h), narrowly outpacing Bolt. The Raptor maintains its balance using a counterweight pole rather than a more biologically accurate tail, which gives it stability when running at high speeds.
However, the Raptor’s top speed is often questioned due to its reliance on a tether, raising concerns about whether it could maintain such speed independently.
Boston Dynamics’ Cheetah is another fast-running robot, reaching a speed of 28.3 mph (45.5 km/h), but it uses four legs, making it a quadruped rather than a biped like the Raptor. In contrast, Cassie, developed by Agility Robotics, holds the world record for the fastest 100-meter dash by a two-legged robot, clocking in at 24.73 seconds in 2022. While significantly slower than Bolt, Cassie achieved this feat untethered, averaging a speed of 9.06 mph (14.58 km/h).
Despite Cassie’s hiccups and falls during its record attempt, it highlights the growing capabilities of autonomous robots. A newer record in late 2023 was set by another KAIST creation, the Hound, which ran 100 meters in 19.87 seconds.
Beyond these specific speed records, various labs are exploring innovative designs for bipedal robots. The Achires robot from Ishikawa Group Laboratory takes a unique approach to running, mimicking a human’s forward-leaning posture, while the Planar Elliptical Runner is self-balancing and uses minimal computing power, relying on one motor to maintain its running pace.
Although AI integration is increasingly the focus in the robotics industry, particularly for general-purpose machines like Boston Dynamics’ Atlas and the Unitree G1, there’s still an impressive allure in developing robots capable of extreme speeds. For example, Atlas’s parkour skills are more dynamic and versatile than flat-out speed alone.
