Penn Scientists Design Leaping, Climbing Robot with Six Legs (Video)

The science of robot movement has continued to expand in recent years. Now, researchers have developed a new way for a robot to get around. They've created RHex, an all-terrain walking robot that could potentially be used to climb over rubble in rescue missions.

The new robot doesn't just crawl or walk. It can also bounce, jump and flip, tackling areas that would otherwise be inaccessible to it. In fact, the robot can even grab onto ledges that would otherwise be too high for it, climbing upward as it clings and then pulls itself higher.

RHex's amazing locomotion is due to its six springy legs. Yet these legs are nothing new in the realm of robotics. Scientists previously developed a robot that could wander over sand using the same principle. These legs have a huge advantage over wheels when it comes to tough terrain, able to walk over it rather than getting caught on rough objects. However, these legs are also more complicated than wheels; they require complex, specialized instructions for each moving part.

In fact, the RHex platform was actually developed more than a decade ago. It isn't until now, though, that a more finished product finally stole the show. Currently, researchers are working on a version of RHex known as XRL or X-RHex Lite. This lighter and more agile version of the robot is perfect for testing new ways for the machine to run, jump and climb.

"What we want is a robot that can go anywhere, even over terrain that might be broken and uneven," said Aaron Johnson, one of the researchers, in a news release. "These latest jumps greatly expand the range of what this machine is capable of, as it can now jump onto or across obstacles that are bigger than it is."

The details of this new robot are published online here.

Want to see the robot in action? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube.