This Two-Legged Robot Runs Faster Than the Average Human

On average, most adults can run at a speed of between five and six miles per hour. There are some notable exceptions — Usain Bolt at his fastest comes to mind — but largely, that’s what most of us can expect when we put on our running shoes and head out into the world. As we don’t live in a dystopian world of the “robot uprising” variety, most of us have never had to think about whether or not we could outrun a robot.

It might be time for that to change.

As Live Science’s Keumars Afifi-Sabet reports, STAR1 — a two-legged robot from the Chinese company Robot Era — recently reached a speed of eight miles per hour while being tested in the Gobi Desert. In fact, Robot Era tested two robots of the same model, with one running “barefoot” and the other equipped with a pair of sneakers. As it turns out, running shoes can also help robots achieve their top speed: the robot with shoes on set a new speed record for robots with two legs.

The testing saw the STAR1 robots encountering all sorts of terrain, and to watch the video the company supplied of the tests does indeed show both making their way across uneven ground. According to Robot Era, the robot sustained its top speed for 34 minutes.

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This isn’t the first time that Robot Era put one of its creations through its paces in a particularly scenic location. Over the summer, Robot Era sent another one of its robots — XBot-L — to climb the Great Wall of China. This particular robot managed to make its way up and down stairs and across uneven surfaces with ease. It’s an impressive technological breakthrough as well, though if it comes down to it, you can probably outrun this.