Nicknamed “The Lightning Bolt,” Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt, with a record speed of 44-km/hour (27.7 mph) in the Olympic 100 meter, may have met his match and it is not rival sprinter Justin Gatlin.
Meet the BeatBot.
Puma has teamed up with a group of NASA robotics engineers, MIT graduates and J. Walter Thompson’s (JWT) ad agency to create BeatBot. The idea behind the robot is simple, “Run, run as fast as you can.”
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BeatBot has more bells and whistles than the Aston Martin DB9. With front and rear-facing GoPro cameras to record its competitor, rear LED lights to test the limits of your peripheral vision, nine infrared sensors and a platform for navigation, Usain Bolt is getting a run for his money.
The robot operates through programing an app via a mobile device where the user inputs his or her length of time, and distance of the race based on their preference. Once aligned, the infrared sensors track the lines on the polyurethane surface and, “Meep, meep,” off it goes.
So is Puma’s goal to achieve a list of accolades similar to the CGI animated film, Wall-E?
This is no Disney movie, but BeatBot’s future in the athletic industry might just have its own, “happily ever after.”
JWT New York executive creative director, Florent Imbert, saw his chance and rolled the dice. He said, “To us, it felt like human truth. Running against an invisible clock will never be as motivating as running against someone – or something.”
BeatBot is poised to be the ultimate running companion on hard-wires. Puma aims to not only push its users to their personal best, but to also act as a pacesetter for distance runners.
If you are looking to run a Mach 0.036, similar to Usain Bolt, you might have to be more creative with your daily workout regimen.
For the time being, BeatBot is only being released to Puma-sponsored athletes and teams. This latest technology comes with a hefty price tag. Those of us on a shoestring budget will have to wait for Puma to develop a more consumer-friendly model.
The BeatBot is an innovative way for athletes to push their limits. If Puma offers a trial run for the general public, put me in the starting blocks. In the meantime, I will have to settle for the neighborhood dog as my pace setter, chasing me down the road, nipping at my heels.