Tech & Auto
How The World's Highest-Jumping Robot Actually Works
By S.G. HOWE
The average human can't jump more than two or three feet, an absolutely minuscule number compared to the small robot that holds the vertical jump record.
This highest-jumping robot can take 10 stories, almost 102 feet. Veritasium reported on YouTube that it's the same distance from the Statue of Liberty's feet to its eyes.
The robot relies on its own design and structure to leap into the air, propelled forward by four carbon fiber arches bound to a middle support axle by elastic bands.
The bottlenose-like compartment on the robot's top holds a motor connected to the axle by a string. When the motor is turned on, it winds up the string.
This shortens the middle support and forces the carbon fiber arches to bow. The mounting tension in the arches and elastic bands acts as a spring.
When a trigger by the motor suddenly releases the wound-up string, the arches and elastic bands snap back into shape, forcefully thrusting the robot upward.