A year ago, Boston Dynamics uploaded a video of their quadruped robot, Cheetah, hitting speeds of 29 mph on a treadmill. Cheetah couldn’t live up to its name, but certainly faster than a human.

Back then, it was plugged in and supported by a boom. Not anymore. Cheetah’s off the treadmill and out on the streets. Equipped with a roll cage, an on board engine, and a new name—meet Cheetah’s robotic cousin, WildCat!

WildCat is an early model for field testing. It sports a noisy combustion on board engine, not unlike early field tests on pack robot, AlphaDog. And though its roll cage looks robust and capable of taking a fall (as it does in the video), WildCat’s handlers are keeping a leash on it. The robot’s top speed, so far, is 16 mph.

But it certainly doesn’t look slow. Enabled by an articulated spine and bio-mimetic stride, its two gaits—galloping and bounding—are smooth, as is its ability to turn is quite impressive. Eventually, WildCat’s speed and maneuverability will be put to use in “emergency response, humanitarian missions, or other useful military applications.”

What other kinds of applications do you see WildCat being used for?

For more information about WildCat visit their website at www.BostonDynamics.com
or see more awesome robot videos here.