A four-legged robot named RAIBO2 made history by completing a full marathon on a single battery charge, covering 26.2 miles (42.2 km) at the 22nd Sangju Dried-Persimmon Marathon in South Korea within 4 hours and 19 minutes. This achievement marks it as the first quadruped robot to finish an official marathon-distance event without needing to recharge.
The researchers highlighted that the robot’s endurance is a significant breakthrough, overcoming a common limitation for quadruped robots, which tend to struggle with energy consumption because of the complexity of their movements. In preparation for this marathon, RAIBO2 had its battery capacity increased by 33% and modifications made to its control system, allowing it to manage varying terrain more efficiently.
RAIBO2’s performance was particularly impressive given the challenging course that included steep elevation climbs. Its efficiency was noted with a total cost of transport of 0.25, outperforming the human benchmark of 0.37. Equipped with mechanical components that minimize energy loss and a software algorithm optimized for energy efficiency, RAIBO2 could be applied in various practical scenarios, such as disaster response in difficult terrain.
Further tests suggested RAIBO2 could potentially travel up to 41.6 miles (67 km) on a single charge under optimal conditions. This capability paves the way for new uses of quadruped robots in challenging environments. The study delineating these findings is published in the journal Nature.
