---
title: "Meet Cassie, the Bipedal Robot Here to Ostrich-Walk Into Your Nightmares"
description: "Developed by roboticists at Oregon State University, Cassie is designed to replicate a birdlike walking gait."
date: "2017-02-10"
modified: "2017-02-10"
authors:
  - name: "Josh Condon"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/josh-condon"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/tech/7548/meet-cassie-the-bipedal-robot-here-to-ostrich-walk-into-your-nightmares"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
tags:
  - "bipedal"
  - "ostrich"
  - "Robot"
---

# Meet Cassie, the Bipedal Robot Here to Ostrich-Walk Into Your Nightmares

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/02/screen-shot-2017-02-10-at-1-41-23-pm.png>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com\</em\>*

Whether you think a walking robot that moves like an ostrich is incredibly cool or insanely terrifying, you have Jonathan Hurst, associate professor of robotics at Oregon State University and chief technology officer of [Agility Robotics](<https://www.agilityrobotics.com/>), to thank. Hurst and his team have created Cassie, a bipedal robot that moves with a remarkably fluid, birdlike gait. (The group studied bird's legs "as a means of achieving agility, efficiency and robustness," [according to *New Atlas*](<https://newatlas.com/cassie-bipedal-robot/47845/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_campaign=4c149f7740-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-4c149f7740-85074047>).)

Cassie is an evolution of another Oregon State-designed walking robot, [ATRIAS](<https://mime.oregonstate.edu/research/drl/atrias/>). The new machine weighs half as much as its predecessor, thanks largely to the efforts to develop components in-house. For example, the team looked to the electric vehicle industry for Cassie's lithium-ion battery pack, but the packaging was far too large for the robot's needs, so they built their own.

## A New Bipedal Robot

"ATRIAS had motors that would work against either other, which was inefficient," Hurst [wrote in the university's release](<https://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2017/feb/agility-robotics-evolves-osu-research-aims-revolutionize-robot-mobility>). "With Cassie, we've fixed this problem and added steering, feet, and a sealed system, so it will work outdoors in the rain and snow as we continue with our controller testing."

The release also notes Cassie was built with a 16-month, $1 million grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense.

Check out Cassie in action below.

https://youtube.com/embed/Is4JZqhAy-M

## Author
Josh is a former editor at *Details*, *Road & Track*, and *MSN Autos*, and has contributed about a variety of topics to publications including *The New York Times*, *Men’s Journal*, *Automobile* and *Men’s Fitness*.

### Author social links