Minik robot sıçrayışlarını kontrol etmeyi öğreniyor

University of Washington engineers have developed DirectHop, a one-gram robot that can vary its jump height, recover after landing and prepare for another hop. Many earlier hopping robots copy fleas by storing energy in springs and releasing it suddenly. That approach produces powerful jumps but makes distance difficult to control and requires complicated miniature latches. DirectHop instead uses a small electric motor that pulls itself up a tower with fishing line, lifting the robot as three hinged legs extend. Changing the motor current adjusts the jump with centimetre-level accuracy. A turtle-inspired roll cage protects the machine when it tumbles, and shifting the motor lowers its centre of gravity so it can right itself successfully about 90 percent of the time. The robot can clear a normal stair step, yet it remains a prototype: power and instructions arrive through wires, and it cannot steer. Researchers are now exploring onboard energy, cameras and navigation for autonomous field use.