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 04 July 2008 22:57 BST

Unique jumping robot sets new record

Thursday, 22 May 2008 00:01
The new robot leaps more than 27 times its total body length
A remarkable new jumping robot has been unveiled today.

The grasshopper–inspired robot weighs just 7g and can jump 1.4m, equivalent to more than 27 times its length.

The robot can leap ten times father, for its size and weight, than any other existing jumping robot.

Researchers from the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at France's EPFL unveiled the novel robot at a conference in California today.

It is hoped the jumping technology will be used worldwide in search and rescue operations in the future.

"This biomimetic form of jumping is unique because it allows micro-robots to travel over many types of rough terrain where no other walking or wheeled robot could go," Professor Dario Floreano at EPFL said.

"These tiny jumping robots could be fitted with solar cells to recharge between jumps and deployed in swarms for extended exploration of remote areas on Earth or on other planets."

The new jumping robot mimics the actions of small animals such as fleas and frogs using two torsion springs and a pager motor to achieve the leap.

The tiny battery fitted to the robot allows it to make up to 320 jumps at three-second intervals.End of story


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