Scientists have been experimenting with four-leg robots for years. They want to use robots to carry heavy things over difficult land.
But providing enough power for those kinds of robots has been a problem. Now, that has changed. Engineers at MIT have designed a running robot that runs on batteries. Scientists say their robots will soon be able to run like cheetahs, the fastest land animals on Earth.
One difficulty in designing these types of robots continues to be providing power. These machines are still quite heavy and they need a lot of power to run. But the cheetah-like robot designed by engineers at MIT is light enough m run on batteries. The robot weighs just 30 kilograms. The robot needs only about 700 watts of power to run. This robot can actually jump 40cm high and it can land very safely and then it can run. The robots limbs and other parts were made in a three-dimensional or 3D printer. A strong, light-weight material called Kevlar is used to make the robot's part stronger.
But the development of MITs robot is not without its own set of problems. The robot's limbs must support heavy force, and sometimes they break.
Scientists say the new technologies used on this robot may be used in the making of limbs for disabled persons and other machines. Some of those machines may help save humans from performing difficult and dangerous jobs.