The Cheetah robot was born in 2012. The speedy four-legged bot could run at 29 miles per hour —outpacing Usain Bolt — while tethered to a power supply.
Now, the cat's off the leash.
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Boston Dynamics introduced WildCat, a wireless version of Cheetah, on the group's YouTube channel. The robot clocks in at a top speed of 16 mph, slower than its wired predecessor, but still faster than many humans. WildCat can run a less-than-four-minute mile.
Without a cord, the new generation of robot can run outside of the lab.
Boston Dynamics' video of WildCat in action shows it running in a parking lot. WildCat uses "bounding and galloping gaits" and can run on all types of flat terrain, the group noted in the description on YouTube, and can both move in a straight line and cut turns. Its motor noticeably hums.

WildCat is funded by DARPA's maximum mobility and manipulation program, whose mission is to enhance robot mobility in natural environments.
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Homepage image: YouTube, Boston Dynamics