Robot dog sets world fastest running record

HOUND took only 19.87 seconds to run the 100m distance at a speed of 18.13 km/h, setting a Guinness world record and demonstrating unprecedented agility in robots.

Explaining the sophisticated technology behind the HOUND robot, Young-Ha Shin, the robot's designer, said it is equipped with a motor controller trained in simulation through reinforcement learning. In the simulation, this four-legged robot can even accelerate and run at higher speeds but has not been tested in the real world.

HOUND weighs 45kg, equivalent to an adult male bull dog. Its legs are specially designed to be extremely light for sprinting. The side and butt parts are installed with parallel drive modules. The robot can perform a variety of movements thanks to a belt pulley system that drives the knee joint. Mr. Shin knows that with legged robots, instantaneous and stable performance is very important when deciding on a motor.

Not only setting a speed record, HOUND is also capable of successfully climbing a 22-degree slope, walking 3.2 km and overcoming 35 cm high obstacles.

Engineers at KAIST will continue to improve and refine HOUND's design so that the robot can reach higher speeds and be able to perform more complex operations.