Robot Grasshopper
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Thursday, 22 of May , 2008 at 12:31 am
This tiny little 7 gram robot can jump an astonishing 1.4 meters, or 27 times its own height. This is a factor of ten better than any other existing robot. It’s able to do this by mimicking insects like grasshoppers, who store energy in springy legs and then release it all at once. This robot uses a pager motor and a bunch of reduction gears to charge two actual springs, and then releases them to catapult itself upward. A small on-board battery provides enough enough energy for over 300 jumps at intervals of 3 seconds.
The great thing about jumping is that it combines the advantages of being on the ground with one of the most important advantages of being able to fly: obstacle avoidance. Wheeled, tracked, and legged vehicles are all at the mercy of extremely uneven terrain, especially obstacles that are significantly higher than the vehicle, and they’re all vulnerable (to some degree) to soft and shifty or slippery surfaces like sand or ice. As this video shows, the jumping robot has no trouble at all getting around:
Yes, it’s not exactly controllable. And yes, it doesn’t exactly land right-side up. But these are minor quibbles, and they’re being worked on. At the moment, the robot is entirely brainless, but researchers are looking to give it a microprocessor, some solar cells, and a sensor package. Swarms of small and cheap robots incorporating jumping technology would be ideal for exploring other planets, or even perhaps areas with hazardous and unpredictable terrain here on Earth.
Like the floor of my bedroom.
[ EPFL ] VIA [ Live Science ]
Category: Biorobotics, Research
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Comment by christian
Made Thursday, 22 of May , 2008 at 8:19 am
I want one! Were can I purchase one or two?
/c..
Comment by Robot Links
Made Thursday, 22 of May , 2008 at 12:23 pm
Spring is in the air :)
Robots and Robotics. Computer Control. Computer Engineering.
Comment by David
Made Thursday, 22 of May , 2008 at 3:47 pm
It’s about as much of a robot as a Jack-in-the-Box.
Where is the video of it resetting itself for the next jump?
Schools have been making stuff like this for years and getting the kids to believe they are robots. It is time people were aware of what was done in the past before applauding.