IF YOU EVER wanted to own your own robot that could outrun all but the fastest of sprinters, then this is for you.
Called the OutRunner, the Kickstarter project is a self-balancing, remote controlled robot which can run up to 32km/h outdoors. It is able to run normally on different terrain and has a battery life of two hours.
The robot emulates the way animals run by reproducing their step pattern and having a similar mass to length distribution. Since the robot’s centre of mass is lower than the axis of rotation, it creates a buoyancy effect, allowing it to be stable and eliminating the need for sensors or algorithms to keep it upright.
Because of this, OutRunner can travel on grass, gravel, uphill and downhill as well as on roads.
Just look at it go.
There are two versions of the robot, the OutRunner Core, which has a top speed of 16km/h and has a battery life of one hour, and the OutRunner Performance, which has a top speed of 32km and can last for two hours.
Currently, the project has raised just over $46,000, a considerable distance from its target of $150,000, and has 12 days left to reach its target.
If it’s successful, the company wants to organise the world’s first competition of running robots, allowing modification of OutRunners. It’s marked the end of 2015 or closely after as a possible date for the competition.
And for those wondering whether it can run on different terrain, here’s more clips of it running offroad.
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