Following two years of research, the German industrial group Festo has designed a robot that mimics the movements of a kangaroo. It is equipped with pneumatic actuators that allow it to jump — and to absorb the shock on landing.
An artificial Achilles tendon with an elastic spring element made of rubber helps to store energy on landing for the next jump. The 3ft-tall 7kg robot, which can launch itself 40cm into the air and jump a distance of 80cm, is controlled via an arm-band that communicates the wearer’s gestures via Bluetooth up to a range of 50m.
Elia Knubben, who led the team that unveiled the Bionic Kangaroo at the recent Hanover Fair, said: “With this tendon, we can get energy from the landing and use it for the next jump. This is what makes kangaroos very efficient.” Mr Knubben added that electric motors help the robot to maintain its balance, with rechargeable lithium polymer batteries providing the power.
A short video of the Bionic Kangaroo can be seen on the company’s Web site (
www.festo.com) or on YouTube.