The WildCat robot was unleashed by Boston Dynamics for the DARPA program, but the next generation robot doesn't beat it's predecessor, the Cheetah robot, which clocked in a record speed of 29 mph.

The WildCat robot is a military quadruped machine that can run at speeds up to 16 mph, CNET reports.

Though Boston Dynamics hasn't updated its Web site with info on WildCat robot yet, it states in its YouTube video description of the WildCat: "WildCat is a four-legged robot being developed to run fast on all types of terrain. So far WildCat has run at about 16 mph on flat terrain using bounding and galloping gaits. The video shows WildCat's best performance so far. WildCat is being developed by Boston Dynamics with funding from DARPA's M3 program."

The DARPA M3 program refers to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Maximum Mobility and Manipulation Program, CNET reports, which is designed to boost robots' mobility in natural environments while enhancing their design, fabrication, and control.

Though the WildCat is impressive, it is not as quick as its recently un-tethered predecessor Cheetah, which is a robot also designed by Boston Dynamics for DARPA. The Cheetah robot has a record top speed of 28.3 mph, and famously can outrun Usain Bolt.

The video below of the WildCat shows the robot running around a Massachusetts parking lot with two different gaits: "gallop" and "bound," The Los Angeles Times reports.

Marc Raibert, a former Carnegie Mellon University and MIT professor who founded the engineering company, thinks that the WildCat could eventually help humans with emergency rescue, firefighting, disaster recovery, agriculture and supporting military operations, The Los Angeles Times reports.

He told the publication that the adjustments he hopes to make to the WildCat are: "Faster. Further. Rougher terrain."

Engadget reports that Boston Dynamics said the WildCat robot runs on a 2-stroke go-kart engine, directly coupled to a hydraulic pump. Right now, it has a small fuel tank to keep the weight down, and is capable of running for about five minutes. 

Watch the WildCat robot run here: