Scientists have designed a robot that they claim could one day jump 400 feet — high enough to clear the Statue of Liberty in a single bound. It could even leap as high as 650 feet on the moon.
To demonstrate their design theory, the scientists built a 15.7 inch tall robot that could jump more than 5 feet in the air. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.One giant leap for robotkindJumping robots typically use motors to store energy in a spring, and then release this energy to propel the robot upwards. Power amplification — a mechanism seen in animals like fleas and locusts whereby stored elastic energy is converted to kinetic energy — enables springs to generate greater output power than standalone motors, resulting in higher jumps.
To find out which design type would be best, the scientists examined two robot models: one with a straight-line"prismatic" system and one with a rotational system.