Robot dog sets new Guinness World Record in 100-meter race (video)
A four-legged robotic dog named HOUND demonstrated an unprecedented level of agility and speed, running the fastest 100-meter race ever achieved by a four-legged robot, setting a new Guinness World Record.
The robot dog was developed and manufactured by the Laboratory of Dynamic Control and Robot Design of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Starting from a stationary position, the 45-kilogram robot dog ran 100 meters at an average speed of 18.12 km/h, covering the distance in 19.87 seconds.
HOUND is designed for high-speed travel. In addition to a speed of 3 m/s, it can move on grass, walk long distances, and climb a slope at an angle of 22°. Its abilities are the result of an optimized mechanical design, a special motor controller and gear configuration.
“Instant and stable performance are important characteristics when choosing a motor for dynamic leg movement,” said Young-Ha Shin, the bot’s designer, in an interview with the Guinness World Records.
The hip and knee drive modules consist of a single part in a parallel configuration, with a hollow shaft used to transmit energy to the joints. For the knee joint, the belt-pulley system provides a full range of motion. HOUND developers chose a planetary gearbox because of its high power transmission efficiency. The robot has undergone advanced modeling techniques using reinforcement learning, a data-driven approach to learning optimal intelligent behavior through trial and error.
“All of these movements were achieved with a single [motor] controller trained in simulation through reinforcement learning,” Shin said.
“In order to push the limits of the drive’s capabilities, engine characteristics were included in the simulation to make the environment as close to the real world as possible.”
HOUND is not the first robot to set a speed record. In 2012, the DARPA Cheetah robot, also a quadruped, set a new speed record for robots on land – 45.5 km/h on a 20-meter stretch, beating the top speed of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt – 44.7 km/h. Then, in 2022, Cassie, developed by Agility Robotics, set a Guinness World Record for the fastest bipedal robot, covering the 100-meter distance in 24.73 seconds.
Despite his record-breaking abilities, HOUND still has a long way to go to break Bolt’s world record of 9.58 seconds in the 100-meter dash, which he set in 2009.
In the video below, shot by the Guinness Book of Records, you can see HOUND in action.
