Sony Robot Runs

A Wired News article details Sony’s accomplishment.

Sony’s walking robot already knows a few hip dance steps and can kick a miniature soccer ball. Now, it can jog — a new trick that developers say is ingenious because it requires the machine to jump off the ground, if only for a fraction of a second.

While it may only run at 1/2 MPH, it does open up huge potential for robots that would not require special infrastructure to integrate into human designed environments. Maybe there’s more of a convincing argument that robots will take over the US economy after all.

“All around the world, universities and think tanks have been researching how to make robots run but we are pleased to announce that we have done it first,” Doi said.