Jumping microrobots
Jumping microrobots and insects power their impressive leaps through
systems of springs and latches. Using springs and latches rather than motors
or muscles as actuators to power jumps imposes new challenges on controlling the
performance of the jump.
Spring-tail inspired microrobots
The 980 mg spring-tail inspired microrobot is capable of autonomous jumping at take-off speeds up to 3.171 m/s. The microrobot takes off from the ground in 6.7 ms, about 10 times faster than blinking!
Torque reversal jumping microrobots
The 346 mg jumping microrobot has a torque reversal latch. Tuning the spring, latch, and actuation to one another results in controllable performance in a resource-constrained jumping microrobot.
Dual spring force couples in torque reversal mechanisms
Dual spring force couples provide torques in LaMSA systems, and when coupled with a torque reversal (or geometric) latch, the dynamics and energetics of spring actuation is modulated by relative energy ratios and geometry.