HOUND, the four-legged robot from South Korea, sets a Guinness World Record by running 100 meters in 19.87 seconds at a speed of 18.13 km/h.
Robot HOUND sets the record for the fastest 100 meters. (Video: Guinness World Records)
The robot dog named HOUND was developed by the Dynamic Robot Design and Control Laboratory at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon. It achieved the fastest time ever recorded for a four-legged robot running 100 meters, as reported by Interesting Engineering on December 13. With a record-breaking time of 19.87 seconds at a speed of 18.13 km/h, HOUND showcases unprecedented agility in robots, according to Guinness World Records.
“All movement comes from a motor controller trained in simulation through reinforcement learning. In the simulation, it can even accelerate to higher speeds, but we have not tested that in the real world,” explained Young-Ha Shin, the designer of HOUND, regarding the sophisticated technology behind the robot.
HOUND has extremely lightweight feet specially designed for sprinting.
Weighing 45 kg, approximately the same as an adult male bulldog, HOUND features specially designed lightweight feet for sprinting. The drive modules at the hips and knees are configured in parallel. A pulley system transmits power to the knee joints, enabling the robot to perform a wide range of movements. Shin emphasized the importance of the motor, stating that instantaneous and stable performance is crucial when selecting motors for legged moving objects.
Despite breaking speed records, HOUND’s capabilities extend beyond just sprinting. The robot has successfully climbed a slope of 22 degrees, walked 3.2 km, and jumped over obstacles 35 cm high. Engineers will continue to refine HOUND’s design to achieve higher speeds and perform more complex maneuvers.
