The cheetah robot that researchers at MIT unveiled last year has learned a new skill.
The four-legged robot can now autonomously leap over obstacles in its path thanks to a new LIDIR a sensor system that uses reflections from lasers to map the terrain in front of it.
That information is fed into three real-time algorithms that help it calculate a leap that will clear the obstacle.
The robot was able to complete 90 percent of the hurdles in tests on the indoor track, but only 70 percent on the treadmill, according to Wired.
The cheetah is also quiet. Unlike other robots that rely on gasoline engines, this one runs on batteries.
