KAIST's raptor robot exceeds 28 mph (46 km/h), faster than Usain Bolt

Since I will leave KAIST near the end of June to join the faculty of SUNY-Korea in Songdo, you'll permit me to display a bit of pride in a recent KAIST accomplishment.  This time it is scientists from KAIST's Mechatronics, Systems and Control lab who are in the news. They have built a robot modelled after the velociraptor dinosaur that, as shown in the accompanying YouTube video, can run at speeds up to 28 miles per hour.  As reported by the International Business Times of the UK, this is faster than Usain Bolt.  The report also noted that the Raptor robot developed at KAIST, while not as fast as Boston Dynamics cheetah robot, is built very differently. "Cheetah is a four-legged quadroped robot powered by hydraulic actuators and is heavy, but the Raptor only has two legs, which are made from lightweight composite material, and it weighs just 3kg. The Raptor also has a 'tail' – a spinning rod – that keeps its body stable as it navigates around and over obstacles, according to Jongwon Park, a PhD student at KAIST's Mechatronics, Systems, and Control Laboratory." As I've argued in previous posts, Korea's robotics industry needs to be considered in relation to the evolution of its broadband networks and digital convergence in this country. The two will eventually work hand in hand in many ways.