The roaring gas-powered robot that ran at 20mph long before today’s silent electric bots

Years before the Tesla Optimus bot or the Xpeng IRON, Boston Dynamics created the WildCat:  a gas-powered robot that could hit speeds of more than 20mph.

Once firmly confined to the realms of science fiction, these days there are robots out there doing everything from parking cars to serving up popcorn. 

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen robotic technology move at lightning speed. 

And this 2011 WildCat from Boston Dynamics is a handy reminder of just how far things have come.

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The WildCat gas-powered robot was an impressive bit of engineering

Robots currently being designed, developed, and built are powered by electricity and can move around more or less soundlessly, even when battling tough terrain. 

But more than a decade ago, Boston Dynamics unveiled its WildCat, which was powered by a two-stroke gas engine from a go-kart coupled with a hydraulic pump. 

As you might have guessed, the gas-powered robot was anything but quiet and sounded similar to a chainsaw when it was in action – as you can see in the clip above.  

However, although it might have been a little rudimentary compared to today’s bipedal autonomous bots, the WildCat was still an impressive feat of engineering, not to mention absolute nightmare fuel. 

The headless four-legged bot had a variable gait and made use of smart dynamic balance when on the move. 

It was built for speed and earned itself the title of fastest quadruped robot on Earth, with a top speed of around 20mph on flat terrain, enough to outrun the average human.

However, its small gas tank meant that it was limited to around five minutes of running before its fuel tank was empty. 

Boston Dynamics has come a long way since WildCat

Boston Dynamics was founded in 1992 and created its first robot, known as BigDog, in 2005.

Since that first robot, it’s fair to say the company hasn’t rested on its laurels. 

It’s now responsible for some of the most dynamic and highly mobile robots out there, including the super-agile Spot and the wheeled Handle. 

Most recently, the company showcased the impressive skills its Atlas bot is now capable of thanks to AI. 

The humanoid bot uses a unified AI system, which means it can now walk and grab objects with a single brain, instead of relying on separate systems for movement and manipulation. 

And if that isn’t uncanny enough for you, Boston Dynamics has also reported that the bot is beginning to show signs of ’emergent’ skills, which are things it was never specifically taught but figured out anyway.

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