A locust-inspired miniature jumping robot

TLDR

Unmanned ground vehicles are typically wheeled, tracked, or legged, limiting their ability to cross rough terrain and obstacles higher than their center of mass, while jumping offers a natural solution for mobility in difficult environments. The study aims to broaden small robot motion gaits by presenting a locust‑inspired jumping mechanism and detailing the design, manufacturing, and performance analysis of two demonstrator prototypes. The mechanism mimics the locust’s semilunar process, using a torsional spring cocked by wrapping a tendon‑like wire around a miniature motor shaft. The most advanced demonstrator is a 23‑gram, power‑autonomous robot that can jump 3.35 m high and travel 1.37 m horizontally.

Abstract

Unmanned ground vehicles are mostly wheeled, tracked, or legged. These locomotion mechanisms have a limited ability to traverse rough terrain and obstacles that are higher than the robot's center of mass. In order to improve the mobility of small robots it is necessary to expand the variety of their motion gaits. Jumping is one of nature's solutions to the challenge of mobility in difficult terrain. The desert locust is the model for the presented bio-inspired design of a jumping mechanism for a small mobile robot. The basic mechanism is similar to that of the semilunar process in the hind legs of the locust, and is based on the cocking of a torsional spring by wrapping a tendon-like wire around the shaft of a miniature motor. In this study we present the jumping mechanism design, and the manufacturing and performance analysis of two demonstrator prototypes. The most advanced jumping robot demonstrator is power autonomous, weighs 23 gr, and is capable of jumping to a height of 3.35 m, covering a distance of 1.37 m.