{"id":20489,"date":"2025-03-20T20:11:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T20:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=20489"},"modified":"2025-03-20T20:11:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T20:11:08","slug":"squirrel-inspired-robot-leaps-into-a-new-era-of-agility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/squirrel-inspired-robot-leaps-into-a-new-era-of-agility\/","title":{"rendered":"Squirrel-Inspired Robot Leaps Into a New Era of Agility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">UC Berkeley researchers have developed a squirrel-inspired robot that can leap and land with pinpoint accuracy. This innovation could lead to more agile robots for construction, environmental monitoring, and even space exploration.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Robots have crawled, swum, flown and even slithered, but none can quite match the acrobatic feats of a squirrel \u2014 until now. A team of biologists and engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a revolutionary one-legged robot inspired by the athletic prowess of squirrels, capable of jumping from branch to branch and executing precise landings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This advancement, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/scirobotics.adq1949\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reported<\/a> in the journal Science Robotics, marks a significant leap forward in robot agility and could have applications ranging from construction to space exploration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The robots we have now are OK, but how do you take it to the next level? How do you get robots to navigate a challenging environment in a disaster where you have pipes and beams and wires? Squirrels could do that, no problem. Robots can&#8217;t do that,&#8221; co-senior author Robert Full, a professor of integrative biology at UC Berkeley, said in a news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a remarkable fusion of biology and engineering, the team aimed to replicate the astonishing maneuvers of squirrels, considered nature\u2019s top athletes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Squirrels are nature&#8217;s best athletes,\u201d Full added. \u201cThe way that they can maneuver and escape is unbelievable. The idea is to try to define the control strategies that give the animals a wide range of behavioral options to perform extraordinary feats and use that information to build more agile robots.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The innovative robot, named Salto, was initially developed in 2016 and could already perform hops and parkour stunts, sticking landings on flat surfaces. However, translating these skills to uneven and narrow perches posed a new challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Co-first author Justin Yim, a former UC Berkeley graduate student, drew inspiration from the control strategies observed in squirrels and adapted them to Salto. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;If you think about trying to jump to a point \u2014 maybe you&#8217;re doing something like playing hopscotch and you want to land your feet in a certain spot \u2014 you want to stick that landing and not take a step,&#8221;  Yim, now an assistant professor of mechanical science and engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign (UIUC), said in the news release. &#8220;If it feels like you&#8217;re falling backward and you might have to sit down because you&#8217;re not going to be able to quite make it, you might pinwheel your arms backward, but you&#8217;re likely also to crouch down as you do this.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yim utilized these insights, enabling Salto to adjust its body posture mid-air to achieve more accurate landings. These adjustments are akin to a gymnast\u2019s mid-air corrections, making Salto\u2019s feats even more impressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Almost all of the energy \u2014 86% of the kinetic energy \u2014 was absorbed by the front legs,&#8221; Yim added, highlighting the similarity between the robot\u2019s new mechanics and a squirrel&#8217;s natural handstands on branches. &#8220;They&#8217;re really doing front handstands onto the branch, and then the rest of it follows. Then their feet generate a pull-up torque, if they&#8217;re going under; if they are going to go over the top \u2014 they&#8217;re overshooting, potentially \u2014 they generate a braking torque.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps most exciting is the potential application of this robotic technology in extraterrestrial environments, such as NASA-funded explorations of Saturn\u2019s moon Enceladus, where low gravity could allow the robot to cover significant distances with each leap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team continues to refine Salto, aiming to enhance its abilities with advanced gripping mechanisms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In future work, I think it would be interesting to explore other more capable grippers that could drastically expand the robot&#8217;s ability to control the torque it applies to the branch and expand its ability to land. Maybe not just on branches, but on complex flat ground, too,&#8221; added Yim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Salto\u2019s advanced leaping mechanics underscore a promising future where robots can navigate complex terrains with the finesse and agility of squirrels, opening new possibilities in construction, disaster response and even beyond our planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you&#8217;re a squirrel being chased by a predator, like a hawk or another squirrel, you want to have a sufficiently stable grasp, where you can parkour off a branch quickly, but not too firm a grasp,&#8221; Full added. &#8220;They don&#8217;t have to worry about letting go, they just bounce off.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This innovative project demonstrates the high level of interdisciplinary and collaborative effort involved in bridging the gap between natural biology and robotics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/news.berkeley.edu\/2025\/03\/19\/no-robot-can-match-a-squirrels-ability-to-leap-from-limb-to-limb-until-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">University of California, Berkeley<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Robots have crawled, swum, flown and even slithered, but none can quite match the acrobatic feats of a squirrel \u2014 until now. A team of biologists and engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a revolutionary one-legged robot inspired by the athletic prowess of squirrels, capable of jumping from branch to branch and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[182],"class_list":["post-20489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tech","tag-uc-berkeley"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Robots have crawled, swum, flown and even slithered, but none can quite match the acrobatic feats of a squirrel \u2014 until now. A team of biologists and engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a revolutionary one-legged robot inspired by the athletic prowess of squirrels, capable of jumping from branch to branch and&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20489"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20497,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20489\/revisions\/20497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}