From the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) comes a 90-pound cheetah-like robot with the wherewithal to navigate the inhospitable terrain of a disaster zone. MIT’s Cheetah III, which can race up debris-covered stairs, jump onto tall surfaces and right itself after a fall, is soon set to be deployed as an inspection robot in nuclear and chemical plants, according to an article from Global Construction Review.
The robot can be remote controlled or operate semi-autonomously and will rely on tactile information rather than cameras to find its way around, says Sangbae Kim, the associate professor in charge of the robo-cat. Kim believes the robot will eventually be able to navigate in a facility with radiation, disassemble a power plant and enter a building fire to possibly save a life, according to the article.
View the Cheetah III here.