Chinese 4-legged robot sets world record for longest distance walk

China is already a hub of technology. But now, it has been named for developing an advanced quadruped robot that sets a new world record of walking the longest distance.

The robot, named Xingzhe No. 1, has four articulated legs which enabled it to cover the incredible distance of 134.03km (83.28 miles). It took 54 hours to cover the entire distance.

According to the The Guinness World Records' guidelines for the title of covering the longest distance, the robot must complete its journey on a single charge and move continuously for at least 54 hours and 34 minutes. Cornell University's Ranger robot, which covered 66km (40.5 miles) in New York, US, in 2011, was the previous recordholder.

Four-legged Xingzhe No. 1 walked more than twice the distance covered by Ranger, but had 1.18 times slower speed compared to the US innovation.

The quadruped robot was developed by a team under the guidance of Professor Li Qingdu from the College of Automation of south-west China's Chongqing University. The research work behind the development began in November 2014 and the first prototype robot was released in January with an object "to study electrical efficiency, increase the length a robot can trek, its reliability, durability and ability to perform remotely controlled missions in situations that would be dangerous for humans".

Qingdu is in plans to apply the technology and processes involved in the development of Xingzhe No. 1 to design new robotic devices in the future. Also, it could be used in some emergency situations to help humans.