Inspired by the agility of squirrels, American scientists have developed a robot capable of jumping and landing on tight spaces. Engineer Justin Eim and his team announced this achievement in the journal Science Robotics.
Squirrels are known to be among the most skilled creatures in parkour, leaping between trees, running on wires, and maintaining their balance even on less-than-perfect landings. Their secret lies in their ability to control their landing by adjusting the force with which they propel themselves away from their point of support.
The robot was equipped with two key features: a claw grip on the leg that enables it to hold onto pipes, and the ability to change body position by bending or stretching to achieve better balance.
This idea is based on a natural mechanism used by squirrels. Eim added, "It's like a game of hopping on one foot; if you feel yourself leaning forward, you can push off the ground forcefully, and if you feel yourself leaning backward, you can bend slightly to regain balance. That's what squirrels do when they land after a jump."
During laboratory tests, the robot jumped between tubes approximately 2.5 centimeters in diameter, successfully landing in 25 out of 30 attempts. In two instances, the robot, named SALTO, was able to balance itself vertically, much like a real squirrel.
Despite this success, the robot is still far from matching the agility of squirrels. Eim believes that improving the gripping mechanism could help "Salto" cling to pipes more efficiently.
In the future, robots with this maneuverability could contribute to construction work by jumping over beams and pipes while carrying cameras to conduct inspections, and could also be used in forests to monitor the environment.
