An Approach to Soft Jumping Robots

The development of legged robots capable of operating in unstructured environments continues to present a significant challenge to this day. The jumping ability commonly found in terrestrial-legged animals could offer a potential solution for solving this problem to some extent. Over the years, numerous designs based on rigid robotics, bio-inspired or not, have sought to emulate this capability. However, it is clear that there is a need for innovative actuators that facilitate more natural and adaptable movements that allow legged robots to traverse uneven terrain more effectively. Soft robotics could offer several advantages for improving the jumping capabilities of robots due to the ability to deform and reshape their limbs. In this regard, this paper proposes an approach that uses additive manufacturing of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) for a soft jumping quadruped robot based on bicameral pneumatic actuators with the ability to move rapidly and continuously jumping at a maximum speed of 116.7 mm/s, as well as with the ability to rotate and adapt to unstructured environments.