This robot jumps more than 30 meters high and could one day cross the Moon

ABC Science

Madrid

Updated:27/04/2022 19:53h

Save

Grasshoppers can jump up to 70 centimeters, 115 times their own body length. Inspired by this insect, Elliot Hawkes and his colleagues have created a robot about 30 centimeters tall and 30 grams in weight, capable of jumping 32.9 meters high, more than 100 times its length. The details have just been published in the journal ‘Nature’.

Recreation of the robot on the lunar surface – Elliot W. Hawkes

The authors say their findings change the implications of jumping as a means of locomotion, opening up new ways of how and where jumping can be used: on Earth, these types of robots could tackle jobs that are currently only handled by devices. flyers; and, on other worlds, like the Moon, where surface gravity is weaker, they could reach heights of up to 125 meters, traversing distances of around half a kilometer in a single jump, which could be useful for exploratory terrain investigations. , combining what rovers are doing right now together with orbiters or flying vehicles, such as the Ingenuity helicopter, on Mars. “The robot could jump off the side of an inaccessible cliff or jump to the bottom of a crater, take samples, and return to a wheeled rover,” says Hawkes.

Diagram of the operation and characteristics of the robot – Hawkes et al. , Nature 2022

“Jumping is found in various species with different sizes, but it is performed in surprisingly similar ways and has clear, quantifiable metrics by which ultimate capabilities can be compared: jump height and distance,” the authors explain. In fact, the seemingly simple act of jumping has intrigued thinkers for centuries: from Aristotle, who pondered how humans could increase jump height with halteres; to the new models, which are inspired by nature to create their machines.

However, biology has its limits: the animals’ maximum jump height is restricted by the work their muscles can produce in a single blow. In contrast, the jump height of a technological device can be much higher if it uses a rotary or ratcheting motor that can store energy during repeated movements or rotations. This new device combines both worlds, creating a device that who knows if we will see in the next space missions jumping on other worlds.

See them
comments