Jianguo Zhao, a PhD student at Michigan State has developed a robot that can not only jump, but pick itself up after it lands, and even steer itself in order to keep itself headed in the right direction. He has hopes that this robot/technology will eventually find a use in search and rescue, environmental monitoring and surveillance, although it seems that the robot’s inability to jump off uneven terrain is holding it back.Zhao’s robot manages to achieve a jump height of 36”, using frog-like legs and a windup to propel itself into the air. However in order for the robot to achieve continuous jumping, Zhao has managed to create a kickstand for the robot which allows for it to pick itself up after it falls on its side after a jump. The robot is powered by a single pager motor which means that the robot can be small and light. This also lead to the robot being efficient and only requiring a charge every 285 jumps. Check out the video below to see the robot in action.
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