Researchers Randall Briggs, left, and Will Bosworth monitor a robotic cheetah during a test run on an athletic field at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., in October.

Professor Sangbae Kim controls a robotic cheetah on a treadmill at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., in September.

Researcher Hae Won Park works on the software for a robotic cheetah with a game controller at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass.

Researchers prepare to test a robotic cheetah on an athletic field at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass.

MIT researchers adjust the head of a robotic cheetah.

Researcher Hae Won Park plugs the batteries into a robotic cheetah at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., in October.

A robotic cheetah runs on an athletic field.

A robotic cheetah sits at the feet of researcher Randall Briggs on an athletic field at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., in October. MIT scientists said the robot, modeled after the fastest land animal, may have real-world applications, including for prosthetic legs.