The robot is powered by a combination of butane and oxygen.
Tolley said that the thought of blending soft and hard materials into the robots body came from nature.
Stiff layers make for a better interface with the devices electronic brains and power sources.
The soft layers make it less helpless to damage when it lands after jumping.
The core module is protected by a semisoft guard created with a 3D printer.
In the field, the hopping motion could be an effective way to move quickly and easily around obstacles.
The robot is made of two nestled hemispheres.
Researchers tried several versions of the design and concluded that a fully firm top would make for higher jumps.
They decided to go with the more flexible design.
When the chemical charge is exhausted, the bottom hemisphere goes back to its original shape.
The research was published in the journal Science magazine.
The research waspublishedin the journal Science magazine.
source: www.techworm.net
