Georgia Tech’s 5-Inch Soft Robot Jumps 10 feet, Inspired by Parasitic Worms
- tech360.tv
- Apr 24
- 2 min read
A 5-inch legless robot developed by engineers at Georgia Institute of Technology can jump 10 feet, mimicking the spring-loaded motion of parasitic nematodes.
The robot, made from a silicone rod reinforced with a carbon-fibre spine, uses a self-pinching motion to launch itself forward or backward, similar to how nematodes move.
The breakthrough could lead to agile soft robots capable of navigating unstable terrain such as sand, with potential applications in exploration, search-and-rescue missions, and robotic mobility in unstructured environments.
Nematodes, or roundworms, are known for their ability to leap by forming tight coils and releasing stored energy. Researchers used high-speed cameras to study how these organisms control their jumps with precision.
To replicate this, the team created the Soft Jumping Model (SoftJM), a robot based on silicone elastomer. By adjusting its starting posture, the robot can control the direction and height of its jumps.
The study found that reversible kinks in the robot’s structure allow it to store more elastic energy without exceeding force limits, similar to how nematodes use their hydroskeletons.
Scaled-up water balloon experiments demonstrated how kink deformation slows the rise of internal forces, enabling more energy storage before release.
This research lays the foundation for future soft robots that use flexible rods as adaptive limbs, leveraging geometrical instabilities to perform powerful, controlled jumps.
Sunny Kumar, a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech and lead co-author of the study, noted that jumping robots are being developed for lunar missions and rescue operations in unpredictable terrain.
The findings were published in the journal Science Robotics.
Georgia Tech engineers developed a 5-inch soft robot that jumps 3 metres
The robot mimics nematode movement using a self-pinching motion
SoftJM robot adjusts posture to control jump direction and height
Source: INTERESTING ENGIINEERING
