Is the Puma BeatBot the Future of Faster?

When everybody is making wearable tech to help people monitor their performance, global sports brand PUMA created a raceable tech gadget to improve the performance of runners in real-time.

Introducing The PUMA BeatBot - a programmable, self-driving, line-following robot that inspires runners of all levels to push harder by giving them a real visual target to beat, not just the time on a stopwatch.

Runners can enter the time and distance of the race they want to replicate, place the unit on the starting line of a track and go. The BeatBot will then pace out the programmed race. It allows runners to race their own best time, their rival’s best time and even Usain Bolt’s best time. With a top speed of 44kmh, BeatBot can recreate Bolt’s record-shattering 100m dash, giving runners a chance to experience firsthand just how fast the world’s fastest man can go. 

How it works

- The BeatBot scans and follows the line on a track using an array of 9 infrared sensors

- Wheel revolutions determine both the speed and distance traveled

- That data is then processed in real-time, to make over 100 maneuvers a second to stay on the line, navigate bends, and cross the finish line at the pace you’re trying to beat

- An array of bright LED lights at the rear so you can see the BeatBot in your peripheral vision, leaving you to concentrate on making your run as fast as possible

- Front and rear GoPro cameras let runners review their run after the race