The robot was designed and manufactured by the Dynamic Bulk SMS France Control and Robot Design Laboratory of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
HOUND's capabilities are said to be the result of optimized mechanical design, especially the motor controller and gear setting. The robot dog's hip and knee actuator modules are a single unit in a parallel configuration with a hollow shaft used to transmit force to the joints. And the knee ligament uses a special belt-pulley system to provide a wide range of motion.
In addition to trotting at a speed of 3 meters per second, the robot is able to easily move through grass, cover long distances, and climb a slope with a steepness of 22°.
HOUND is not the first robot to break records. In 2012, DARPA’s Cheetah robot—also quadrupedal—set a new land speed record of 28 mph (45.5 km/h) over a 20-meter distance, beating Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt’s top speed of 27 mph (44.7 km/h). Then, in 2022, Cassie, developed by Agility Robotics, set a Guinness World Record for the fastest bipedal bot, running 100 meters in 24.73 seconds.
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