A cheetah robot from MIT engineers runs with a “torn off” leg and learns from its mistakes

A miniature cheetah robot created at MIT has broken a personal speed record. He accelerated to 14.04 km/h

thanks to a new reinforcement learning system.Its peculiarity is that it gives the robot the ability to independently determine the best way to run. This allows the mini cheetah to adapt to different terrain without relying on the analysis of a human operator.

The mini cheetah is not the fastest four-legged robot.In 2012, its larger cheetah brother reached a top speed of 45.5 km/h. But the new mini cheetah, developed by MIT's AI Lab and the National Science Foundation's Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI), is much faster and able to learn on its own.

Typically the robot's movement is controlled by a systemwhich uses data based on the analysis of the movement of mechanical limbs. It creates models that the robot focuses on. However, they are often ineffective and inadequate, the authors of the development note. 

In recent experiments, a four-legged robotcrashed into obstacles and recovered and ran with one leg disabled (she simulated a situation with a severed limb). It also adapted to slippery, icy terrain and raced over loose gravel hills. This adaptability is achieved thanks to the neural network. She evaluates new situations that could put her hardware under a lot of stress.

Read more

Scientists have found the healthiest people on Earth: it's all about a unique lifestyle

The danger of free VPNs. Why can't they be downloaded and how to protect yourself?

Physicists have recreated the abilities of the T-1000 from the "Terminator-2" in the laboratory