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Little Cheetah-Cub Robot Ideal for Big Rescue Missions

Developed by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne's Biorobotics Laboratory, this 'cheetah-cub robot' is a quadruped prototype robot about the size of a house cat. The robot's strengths all reside in the design of its legs, which stemmed from the careful observation and reproduction of the feline leg. The number of segments – three on each leg – and their proportions are the same as they are on a cat. Springs are used to reproduce tendons and actuators are used to replace muscles. During tests, the cheetah-cub robot was able to run 1.4 meters per second - nearly seven times its body length in one second. Robots developed from this concept could eventually be used in search and rescue missions or for exploration in rough terrain.