Previous attempts at mechanical quadrupeds have used an internal combustion engine driving a pump & hydraulic system. This is both noisy & inefficient. MIT's effort is all-electric & can hit 10 mph (16 kph) untethered, with a theoretical limit of 30 mph.
http://bgr.com/2014/09/16/mit-robot-cheetah-running/
http://gizmodo.com/mits-robot-cheetah-now-runs-free-without-cables-or-a-le-1634804576
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/robotics-hardware/mit-cheetah-robot-running / cheetah robot developed MIT Biomimetic Robotics Lab project announced robot walking IEEE International Conference Robotics and Automation ICRA MIT team robot 22 km/h kph 13.7 mph robot energy efficiency real running animals speed second fastest legged robot Boston Dynamics Cheetah The MIT Cheetah Planar Biped MIT Leg Lab MIT Cheetah Boston Dynamics Cheetah sagittal plane roll yaw movement robots running free hydraulics tethered external power source MIT's Cheetah energy efficient efficiency run on-board batteries four 22.2-V lithium polymer batteries transition between trot to a gallop cheetah robot developed MIT's Biomimetic Robotics Lab laboratory lab robot walking on YouTube IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation ICRA MIT team cheetah-inspired robot running energy efficiency MIT Cheetah Boston Dynamics Cheetah sagittal plane roll yaw movement incorporated biomimetic principles Kevlar tendon bones light polyurethane foam core covered high stiffness resin /
