BionicKangaroo Is Capable Of Mimicking The Bouncy Ways Of The Real Thing

By: | April 7th, 2014

Recently, advancements in robotics came in the form of a robot mimicking a frog and its movements.

Now, German company Festo has taken another step in robotics by creating BionicKangaroo, a robot that moves similar to the way a real kangaroo does.

BionicKangaroo has a “tendon” installed in its leg that not only propels the robot forward by also recaptures energy upon landing.

Thanks to pneumatics, the tendon is spring-loaded when set in motion and released when the leg springs backwards.

The robot is able to adjust its leg and tail mid-air to maintain balance in between hops and the leg is continuously spring-loaded every time the BionicKangaroo lands in preparation for another hop.

Features:

  • Capable of jumping over 1 foot high
  • Weighs approximately 15 pounds
  • Able to cover distances upwards of two-and-a-half feet
  • The robot is 3 feet tall
  • An armband controls the gestures of the kangaroo

Unfortunately, the BionicKangaroo will not be found in stores as its main purpose is to help improve automation and propel robotics research.

Via: PDF Supply Blog

Marshall Smith

Technology, engineering, and design enthusiast.

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