Mmastodon TechnologyTechnology first seen 2 d ago, last 8 h ago, peak #1

Twisting elastic rods power a hopping frog robot

Original: 🐸 NEW: Engineers at the University of # Michigan and # UCLA found that twisting a coiled elastic rod stores # energy tha

Engineers at the University of Michigan and UCLA found that twisting a coiled elastic rod stores energy that releases in a sudden snap. They used the principle to build a palm-sized frog robot weighing under 100 grams, which uses two snapping rods to hop three body lengths per second across surfaces like wood.

Why now: The novel snap-powered hopping mechanism is a striking advance in small robotic locomotion.

University of MichiganUCLAfrog robot

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• 🐸 NEW: Engineers at the University of # Michigan and # UCLA found that twisting a coiled elastic rod stores # energy that releases in a sudden snap. Their palm-sized frog robot, weighing less than 100 g, uses two snapping rods to hop three body lengths per second across wood,… · tksst@fediscience.org · 12

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