Zhejiang University in east China announced on Tuesday that its quadruped robot, named White Rhino, completed a 100-meter sprint in 16.33 seconds, breaking the previous world record of 19.87 seconds set by a robot named Hound from South Korea.
This feat is now recognized as a new Guinness World Record for the fastest 100-meter time by a quadruped robot.
The current world record for the 100-meter sprint by a human is 9.58 seconds, set by Usain Bolt in 2009 in Berlin.
White Rhino was developed jointly by the university’s Center for X-Mechanics, the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center.
The record was set at a test site in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province.
“This was a very demanding goal,” said Professor Wang Hongtao, the project leader. He explained that the 100-meter sprint not only tests the robot’s explosive power and speed, but also examines the robot’s stability and precise control in conducting rapid movements. “More importantly, it allows us to determine if we are on the right research path.”
