Toaster Walks 14.3 Miles – Sets Robot Distance Record
The Ranger, built by US scientists, set the record for ‘untethered robotic walking’ earlier this month.
Guided by students using a remote control, the odd-looking robot strode 108.5 times around a 212m indoor track.
It completed about 70,000 steps before it needed a recharge.
Andy Ruina, 57, lab manager on the project at New York’s Cornell University, said: “The Ranger is nothing special to look at but the motion is rather graceful in a way you don’t see in many robots.”
The Ranger, whose parts alone cost £15,000, took four years to perfect — but runs on batteries and cost less than 1p to travel four miles.
It smashed the previous world record set by Boston Dynamics’ BigDog in Boston by 1.5 miles.
The Ranger is energy efficient because it copies the physics of human walking, using gravity and momentum to roll its legs forward.
While the movements of other robots are controlled by motors, the Ranger has a more laid-back gait.
Source: The Sun
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