Hopping Robot Leaps Into Action

摘要

Small robots that can leap over obstacles soon may be providing warfight-ers in urban areas with enhanced situational awareness. The Precision Urban Hopper is an effort funded and managed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Sandia National Laboratories. Designed by Boston Dynamics, the four-wheeled hopper robots will navigate autonomously by wheel and use a pistonlike leg to jump more than 25 feet onto or over obstacles.rnThe shoebox-size, Global Positioning System-guided, unmanned ground robots can hop over as many as 30 obstacles that are 40 to 60 times their own size. Researchers note that hopping is five times more efficient than hovering when traversing obstacles less than 30 feet high. This efficiency allows robots to stay on station longer for the same amount of fuel or battery power.