Robots are on the march, and a new breed of them can leap obstacles in a single bound. Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have taught one of Google’s four-legged robots how to detect and jump over objects without breaking stride.
The robot, which the MIT team of scientists will be using to compete in the DARPA Robotics Challenge in June, can clear obstacles up to 18 inches tall, while moving at a speed of 5 mph (8 kph).
This is the same type of robot that developers at Google’s Boston Dynamics unit were mercilessly kicking earlier this year. When the robot uprising begins, a few stray obstacles will no longer slow them down. You have been warned.