If it looks like a kangaroo and hops like a kangaroo, it could be a sophisticated robot powered by electric drives and pneumatic pumps.
After two years of research, German engineers have unveiled a “bionic kangaroo’’ which closely emulates the marsupial’s unique hop.
Standing about a metre tall and weighing 7kg, the robot can reach heights of 40cm and distances of 80cm in a single bound.
And mimicking the animal, it can recycle kinetic energy from one jump to the next via an elastic “Achilles tendon’’ and compressed air valves.
In nature, the kangaroo’s ability to re-use energy allows it to cover vast distances at speed. Without it, they’d tire quickly. READ MORE
