CORVALLIS, Ore. — A 5K run made history at Oregon State University. That's because it wasn't run by a person, but a robot built by engineers at the university.
Cassie, a bipedal robot, ran five kilometers around the Oregon State University campus in just over 53 minutes, on a single charge. It was a feat that had never been done before.
"It's the first time a robot has learned to walk and run, and successfully do that outside over human terrain, normal terrain," said Jonathan Hurst, an OSU robotics professor and founder of Agility Robotics.
Hurst and a team of engineers developed Cassie with the help of a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. KGW was inside the OSU robotics lab when Cassie was first being tested back in 2018.
Since then, the robot has made huge steps, graduating from being able to merely walk around the campus to jogging.
"It's real world environment, it's not in the lab kind of thing on a treadmill," said Hurst.
Hurst said someday the robots will be used in warehouses, or for unloading delivery trucks.
"Makes it possible for you to get your packages in half a day, and brings the cost down and provides a really valuable service that everybody wants and needs," said Hurst.
The robots could also one day help us in our daily activities.
"Over time the robots are going to get better at interacting with people and being completely safe," said Hurst. "To help us age gracefully in our own homes and help us our around the house."
How much might one of these robots eventually cost? About $70,000.
"We're really out in front of the pack, and we aim to stay there," said Hurst. "So we're going to have to move fast and work hard."