Image of the Day: Bionic kangaroo jumps like the real thing

Ever want to meet a kangaroo? Well, unless you live in Australia, you’ll have to settle for this robotic kangaroo.

A German innovation company called Festo has created a bio-inspired robot that imitates the jumping behavior of a kangaroo. The bionic jumper is gesture-controlled and can recover energy from one jump to the next like a real kangaroo.
If real kangaroos did not possess the ability to jump using their tendons like elastic springs, a real kangaroo would get very tired, very quickly.

The robotic kangaroo mimics this behavior by using an elastic spring that “charges” the legs when it lands. It also relies on an internal power source made up of either a small compressor or storage tank to provide high pressure air for the pneumatic muscles that power the jump. BionicKangaroo also contains batteries and a kinematic control system that keeps it from falling over.

The robot weighs about 15 lbs. stands at almost 3-ft. tall and can jump up to 15 ft. in the air vertically and 30 ft. horizontally.

Take a look at the image below for a step-by-step description of the jump sequence.

Watch BionicKangaroo in action.

Festo has a bit of a reputation for coming up with some creative robots every year. Last year was the LearningGripper that taught itself how to grip, the BionicOpter inspired by dragonfly flight, and a few others. Wonder what the company comes up with next year.

For more information on the specifics, visit Festo’s website.