Meet the Planar Elliptical Runner: an intelligent running robot that can reach speeds up to 12 mph. Unlike many other robots like it, this one doesn’t have sensors or an on-board computer. Its legs are driven by 1 motor. A radio controller is used to determine how much power is applied to the motor.
This two-legged robot was developed at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. The researchers are exploring how to extend the idea to 3D running.