Robots: Cute and Less Cute

When it comes to robotics, I typically jump to the technical aspect of planning, kinematics, and tracking. It can get nitty gritty really fast. But, it's great to see what just a little bit of artistic creativity can do when applied to even the most modest of robots. I hardly ever see anything quite this "cute" come out of the robotics research community:

   

 Okay well, there's KeepOn by Hideki Kozima and Marek Michalowski which is pretty good.

   

 At the complete other end of the "cute" spectrum is this recent video from Boston Dynamics, but is amazing for a completely different set of reasons.

   

 Boston Dynamics continues to push hydraulic actuators farther than I think anybody thought they could. But, why does it have run like some kind of giant insect rather than an actual cheetah? Surely, staggering the foot falls would provide mechanical advantages I am not knowledgeable enough to articulate. Developing a robot capable of matching the maneuvering performance and speed of a cheetah would be quite remarkable.