A jumping robot can help explore the moon

A robot that can jump more than 100 times its height can cross Uneven terrain on the moon, to explore the surface of a natural satellite faster than a wheeled rover. The robot was designed by Elliott Hawkes of the University of California, along with colleagues who developed a 30cm prototype capable of jumping up to 32.9 metres.

The carbon-fiber robot weighs just 30 grams and uses a small motor as well as a gear system that compresses the springs. The energy is then rapidly released, causing the robot to be launched into the sky. After landing, he managed to correct himself, bend the springs and prepare for another jump.

You can see it all in action in the video below:

According to Hawkes, its maximum height Animals can reach in full swing It depends on how much work your muscles can do in one stroke. On the other hand, the robot overcomes this limitation with a small motor that strings the springs over several turns; Thus, he only jumps after he has managed to store a large amount of energy.

On the moon, the robot can reach heights of about 125 meters, cover half a kilometer with each movement and become a great machine for exploring the moon. “The moon is really the perfect place to jump,” Hawkes said. “The gravity It’s only one-sixth of what’s on the ground, and there’s basically no air.” Here, about 25% of the potential height of a jump is lost to air friction.

For the author, the robot can either jump along an inaccessible cliff, or go to the bottom of the crater, collect samples and take them to the rover. Pietro Valdastri, of the University of Leeds, suggests other applications for the robot. “This technology has great potential for integration into robotics designed to save people after disasters, such as tsunami or earthquakes.

The article with the results of the study was published in the journal temper nature.

source: temper nature; via: world news