Leaping beetles inspire new, miniature jumping robots

Despite their small size, insects can be phenomenal jumpers, capable of leaping many times their body length with astonishing speed. Researchers have now successfully mimicked these capabilities in a miniature robot that can store a large amount of potential energy then rapidly release this to power a jump. The team anticipate that the design could ultimately enable the production of fully-autonomous miniature robots, capable of navigating unfamiliar terrain and self-righting themselves. Diagram of the jumping mechanism in the miniature robots. ">Video of Miniature jumping robotVideo footage of the miniature robot jumping.