Squirrel-inspired robot created in US – it can jump from branch to branch

A group of US scientists published an article in the journal Science Robotics describing a jumping robot. It is capable of jumping from branch to branch and can be used in construction or forestry. Equipping the robot with sensors will allow for inspection of structures and environmental monitoring, and will also open up many new applications for this platform, which is able to maintain balance in difficult conditions.

Image source: Justin K. Yim

«”We were inspired by squirrels,” explained Justin Yim, who worked on the project at the University of California, Berkeley, and is now at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Squirrels can compensate for undershoots and overshoots when landing by balancing their bodies in such a way as to stay in the place where they jumped. The scientists tried to reproduce similar mechanisms in a small robotic platform with one leg. For greater reliability, they equipped it with a gripper so that the robot squirrel does not fall off the support even if it loses its balance.

It was reported that in 25 out of 30 attempts to jump from one thin PVC pipe to another, the robot was able to land on such a small target. In two cases, it did it perfectly, remaining upright, while in the others, it flipped over and hung on the grippers. This opened the way for another modification of the robot, aimed at creating stronger grippers, like the tenacious claws of squirrels. Eventually, the robot will be able to jump from one support to another and do it with the skill of a real squirrel. However, as the researchers clarify, it will take a long time before that happens.