These Robots Have Some Serious Spring in Their Step

Thanks to the development of better control systems and mechanics, robots are becoming much more agile than the lumbering machines of the past. If you squint just right, their fluid movements could sometimes even be mistaken for those of a human. But even still, today’s robots are not exactly known for being graceful jumpers. Their skills in this area are likely to be a better match with an out-of-shape accountant than with Michael Jordan in his prime.

Georgia Tech engineers have taken inspiration from the animal kingdom to create a new type of robot that can jump like nothing you've ever seen before. Their five-inch soft robot takes a page from the playbook of flatworms to leap up to ten feet into the air. The design for the robot was developed after analyzing high-speed videos of flatworms working themselves into strange shapes before flinging themselves distances twenty times their own body length.

These seemingly simple creatures may not have legs, but they are capable of performing explosive, acrobatic jumps in both forward and backward directions. The researchers discovered that they control their direction of travel by manipulating their center of mass and forming tight bends in their bodies. These kinks, once released, unleash stored energy in a tenth of a millisecond, launching the worms like miniature gymnasts.

Inspired by this natural mechanism, the team created a silicone-based soft robot with a carbon-fiber spine. They called the system the Soft Jumping Model, or SoftJM. Despite lacking legs or wheels, SoftJM can vault to impressive heights, mimicking the leaping technique of flatworms.

This solution came after a year-long effort in which a method to film the microscopic worms as they jumped was developed. The footage revealed that the worms form an α-shaped loop before launching — a process known as bending-elastic instability. This biological trick allows the worms to temporarily store energy and then release it in a powerful burst.

With help from simulations and lab experiments, the researchers designed SoftJM to mimic this process. Reinforced with carbon fiber, the robot can leap repeatedly, withstand high-impact landings, and even adjust its direction mid-flight.

The implications of this discovery stretch far beyond the lab. Soft robots like SoftJM could play an important role in scenarios where traditional locomotion fails — such as search and rescue operations in disaster zones, exploration of uneven or unstable surfaces, and even planetary missions where agility is of prime importance. The ability to jump over obstacles, adjust direction, and land safely without needing wheels or legs gives SoftJM a unique advantage in unpredictable environments.