This robot cheetah is the most terrifying thing you’ll see all day

One small step for man, one giant leap toward the inevitable destruction of mankind.

This lean nightmare machine is the 'Cheetah'. The work of engineers at the Biometrics Robotics Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the four-legged robot is able to walk in a "two-by-two" manner that apes the speedy land mammal after which it is named. 

After a similar model from robotics masters at Boston Dynamics reached speeds of 28 mph back in 2012, the MIT group has looked to see what other animal-like feats the Cheetah design can perform. Such as jumping over the feeble barriers of the final humans, erected in the vain hope of keeping out their robotic hunters.

The technology being demonstrated is mind-bendingly complicated: MIT's Cheetah robot is able to "see" approaching obstacles with a laser mount, time its jump in a manner that doesn't break its running stride and balance itself for a successful landing - all without losing speed or footing. Fun for a robotic experiment, terrifying if the same principle is applied to weaponised or load carrying robots currently being developed by the US army.

Here's hoping the BBC brings back Techno Games in light of the current advances - it could actually be quite good these days.