A Smaller, Lighter Version of the MIT Four-Legged Cheetah Robot That Can Do Backflips on Command

Scientists from the Biomimetic Robotics Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created the Mini Cheetah, a smaller 20 pound version of their hurdle jumping four-legged cheetah robot, which can perform a great deal of very helpful tasks, but also do something else that no other four-legged robot has done. This mini-cheetah robot can do backflips like nobody’s business.

MIT’S new mini cheetah robot is the first four-legged robot to do a backflip. At only 20 pounds the limber quadruped can bend and swing its legs wide, enabling it to walk either right side up or upside down. The robot can also trot over uneven terrain about twice as fast as an average person’s walking speed.