Scientists and engineers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School and Wyss Institute have created a 3D robot that can jump 30 times without any connection to a power source or an outside computer.
Engineers from the San Diego University of California and the Harvard University announced in a paper published Thursday in the publication Science that they designed a 3-D printed robot made of a combination of hard and soft materials. The new robot is able to jump over 30 times without being connected to a power source or an outside computer. Being made of soft and rigid parts, the jumping robot can survive impacts and leap with accuracy. Their little bot can leap up to six times its body height, at two and half feet into the air.
For future of soft bodied robots, this device is a step forward. Among its advantages are included leaping over obstacles, wiggling through tight spaces, and maintaining its performance in unpredictable terrain. This can open many possible applications in environments that might be too dangerous or inaccessible or for humans, such as war and disaster zones.
The 3D printing technology is spreading fast in various manufacturing areas. Instead of a custom mold, the robot was made using a multi-material 3-D printer. The robot's body was printed in nine different layers, ranging from rigid to rubbery. Key components are located in robot's rigid core, on the top of its body, including an air compressor and a battery. Softer components make up its three legs and its body. Softer rubbery legs are better suited for their task of jumping and landing.
In order to tilt its body in the desired direction, the robot inflates one leg and jumps. A spark of combustion ignites a mix of oxygen and butane gas, contained up top. The robot's body is a huge balloon that, once ignited, inflates rapidly, pushing the machine off the ground and to leap into the air.
Thanks to the blending of the softer materials, these nature inspired machines which mimic functions of animals such as insect larvae or snakes, are a new generation of robots more resilient, safer, and more adaptable than their rigid counterparts.
Softer robots are more durable than those made of hard materials. They are less likely to hurt animals and humans, or to damage objects they come into contact with. Some hard materials are still used for motors, sensors, and batteries.
For the jumping robot, the combination of soft and hard materials makes it a more efficient jumper. This idea was also inspired by nature, even if the robot, with its kind of extraterrestrial looks, may remind you more of an UFO than a jumping frog.
This latest robot combines the soft and hard into a more natural and organic way than its predecessors. The new design integrates soft and hard in in a way that gets the best of both worlds. It was inspired by nature's things that go from soft to hard such as mussels that can turn their soft feet rigid if they want to use it to push against a surface.
