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Recently, advancements in robotics came in the form of a robot mimicking a frog and its movements.

Now, German company Festo has taken another step in robotics by creating BionicKangaroo, a robot that moves similar to the way a real kangaroo does.

BionicKangaroo has a “tendon” installed in its leg that not only propels the robot forward by also recaptures energy upon landing.

Thanks to pneumatics, the tendon is spring-loaded when set in motion and released when the leg springs backwards.

The robot is able to adjust its leg and tail mid-air to maintain balance in between hops and the leg is continuously spring-loaded every time the BionicKangaroo lands in preparation for another hop.

Features:

Capable of jumping over 1 foot high

Weighs approximately 15 pounds

Able to cover distances upwards of two-and-a-half feet

The robot is 3 feet tall

An armband controls the gestures of the kangaroo

Unfortunately, the BionicKangaroo will not be found in stores as its main purpose is to help improve automation and propel robotics research.

Via: PDF Supply Blog