Grasshoppper "robot" sets new high-jump record

While it doesn't exactly boast all that many robot-like characteristics, this grasshopper-inspired bot from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology is apparently enough of one to lay claim to the robot high-jump record, which it was able to capture handily by jumping 27 times its own height. That was done with the aid of a motor originally designed to power the vibration unit of a pager which, in this case, winds up two metal springs that eventually release and spring the 5-centimeter tall bot into the air. What's more, while it doesn't have any means of directing itself or even landing on its feet just yet, the researchers behind the bot eventually hope to add some solar panels, sensors, and a microprocessor to it, which they say could one day allow swarms of 'em to explore disaster areas, or even hop their way around the surface of other planets. Head on past the break for a video of it doing its thing.

[Todd @ May 21st 2008 6:20PM]

"Thank You"

Love and Kisses,
Skynet

[Stem $ell @ May 21st 2008 9:59PM]

You're swarmin'-leapin'-mesh-bot right! It's 'One small step for bots--one giant leap for bot-kind'...

[Hayst @ May 21st 2008 6:23PM]

just what disaster victims need... dozens of miniscule bugbots landing indiscriminately on their faces as they're pinned under rubble... spider crawlers from minority report will work better as disaster search robots: more control, rather than jumping around like lemmings

[Technex @ May 21st 2008 6:24PM]

How is this going to help in searches, seems like everything is being hopefully converted to help with searches today...

Cool bot anyhow...

[Ayman @ May 22nd 2008 12:17AM]

Oh simply they jump in a disaster area and then Rats and Cats see them ... well lets just say they will have their daily iron intake

P.s. it takes nearly 10 secs to move a couple of meters (or even 1 meter) hence people might die from bordem

[alex @ May 21st 2008 6:25PM]

It jumps 27 times its own height .... and then it crashes back to earth and smashes to pieces.

[Raytaka1222 @ May 22nd 2008 10:59AM]

Kudos to you sir

[Harkonian @ May 22nd 2008 12:58PM]

It jumps 27x its own height, and yet in the entire 1:11 of the video clip they didn't show the damn thing jumping from far enough away from the camera so that we could see the entire jump.

[Fray @ May 21st 2008 6:28PM]

I, for one, welcome our spring-loaded robot overlords.

Daily high jump competitions and subjugation for everyone. Rejoice.

[swingin' dick hero @ May 21st 2008 7:16PM]

"I, for one, welcome our [...] overlords."
Haha, that's so funny! The first, second, maybe third, not quite fourth, definitely not the fifth time. Considering how often Engadget has posts about robots those comments gets kind of old. I would say it's almost as worn out as Doom comments.

[Richard Lai @ May 21st 2008 9:06PM]

I, for one, welcome our swingin' dick overlords.

[Trentyn @ May 21st 2008 9:34PM]

@richard

i would have welcomed dick swinging overlords a little quicker......

[billedluh @ May 22nd 2008 12:25AM]

I love people who read engadget and get annoyed enough at what engadget is to bother to comment and complain. Engadget you have bad grammar! Engadget this isn't news! Engadget im tired of hearing about iphones! Engadget your readers are immature and leave immature replies! But if your inane complaint comment prevents just one robot overlord comment, then it was worth it.

[swingin' dick hero @ May 22nd 2008 3:22AM]

© Billeduh: You just bothered to complained :P
I have never complained at Engadget though, I like it just the way it is. To me it is news. I don't care about grammar, everyone misses a typo sometimes, I like the iPhone news, I like immature humor at times but it has to be smart, not overtold.

[Chris @ May 21st 2008 6:29PM]

The swiss are always doing something with gears and springs...

[andres @ May 21st 2008 8:10PM]

a clock is to be implemented in later models

[maff @ May 21st 2008 6:32PM]

not really a robot it doesnt sense neither is it programmable

[zip22 @ May 21st 2008 6:56PM]

Pretty sure it is programmable. they said it can be adjusted for height or for distance.

[Wolfticket @ May 21st 2008 7:20PM]

That's a computer, not a robot. The term robot is much more vague.

[Jerome @ May 21st 2008 7:39PM]

yes it is not a robot...

they adjust the height mechanically not with the microprocessor.

I really love this thing and I am sure it will become a robot in the near futur.

[Bad Beaver @ May 22nd 2008 5:26AM]

As long as it doesn't have some sort of basic AI or can be programmed it's a motorized spring-toy. But as all those remote-controlled contraptions of late get the "robot" moniker too... ah, it's just sad.

[SimonHarding @ May 21st 2008 6:53PM]

Are you sure it is SWIFT and not EPFL?

See: http://lis.epfl.ch and http://lis.epfl.ch/?content=research/projects/SelfDeployingMicroglider/

[those polyglot Swiss @ May 21st 2008 11:45PM]

I think yours is the first reference to SWIFT, but Engadget has it right:
English: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
French: Ecole Polytechnique Federale (Lausanne)
German: Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (Zürich)

[ackthbbft @ May 21st 2008 6:56PM]

My cat would love one of these.

[Wolfticket @ May 21st 2008 7:14PM]

"We've made this really cool robot in the lab"

"OK, nice, but what useful real world application does it have?"

"Errr........ well........ I spose you could use it to explore disaster areas"

[Ally @ May 21st 2008 7:16PM]

Exactly.

Its a bit useless, you'd be better of throwing it into disaster areas, probably would go further!

[Technex @ May 22nd 2008 3:11AM]

Ah, I see why... A excuse to get funding!


Why didn't I think of that a long time ago with my hobbies... :)

[Maxx @ May 21st 2008 7:41PM]

Kindof reminds me of a Screamer Type 1.

[0megapart!cle @ May 21st 2008 8:26PM]

It seems like it would need to have some kind of microprocessor of it's own in order to really be considered a robot.

Right now, it is a high-tech happy meal toy.

[required @ May 21st 2008 8:28PM]

This is patently more flea than grasshopper.

[Noah @ May 21st 2008 9:22PM]

Dude, you see the real grasshopper jump? It was going to fall on its back, lol!

[Stiv @ May 21st 2008 10:44PM]

BFD

[Ian @ May 22nd 2008 4:14AM]

yea im probably going to go this year... so whats ur point? :P

[For2itous @ May 21st 2008 10:00PM]

hOptimus Prime?

[amitaniosis @ May 21st 2008 10:45PM]

Just add a "roflknief (that goes sliec sliec sliec)" to it, and you've got the ultimate assassination weapon, attacking unnoticed from below.

Oh, and the title is misspelled.

[Cedric @ May 22nd 2008 1:11AM]

Second-best use of a pager vibration unit, ever.

[Ian @ May 22nd 2008 4:15AM]

and the first is?

[Sparky @ May 22nd 2008 5:30AM]

As long as they don't have robot fleas.

Sincerely,
Sparky the Aibo

[Galley @ May 22nd 2008 9:16AM]

Grasshoppers is crazy critters!

[Raytaka1222 @ May 22nd 2008 11:24AM]

haha. nice

[volatileacid @ May 28th 2008 10:04PM]

What goes up, must come down - I'd be more interested in them getting this thing to land on it's feet - then we've got potential.