MIT's cheetah robot can now jump over hurdles. Yup, this hunk of metal can autonomously detect and clear obstacles in real time, prancing over walls while running just like a real-life horse.

This is the "first four-legged robot" to accomplish this task, according to MIT.

Sangbae Kim, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, explained the difficulty of the task. "A running jump is a truly dynamic behavior … you have to manage balance and energy, and be able to handle impact after landing. Our robot is specifically designed for those highly dynamic behaviors."

The jump is accomplished by using a three-part algorithm, which interprets data from the robot's onboard LIDAR system. LIDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, uses pulsing lasers to measure distances. In this case, it gives the cheetah the "sight" that allows it to detect and respond to obstacles.

The research is partly funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the team of scientists plans to show off the cheetah and its newfound abilities at the agency's Robotics Challenge in June, before publishing a paper on their system in July.

Back in 2012, a DARPA cheetah broke its own land speed record of 18 mph, running a 20-meter split at 28.3 mph, faster than the world record for a human set in 2009 when Usain Bolt reached a peak speed of 27.78 mph. Earlier that year it mastered stairs.