Wound-helix robot leaps and bounds over obstacles
Overview
Researchers from UCLA and the University of Michigan have developed a frog-like robot that uses flexible rods to snap between shapes, enabling it to hop over obstacles, climb steps, and swim. The robot outperforms rigid-legged designs in speed and adaptability across various surfaces, offering potential applications in search-and-rescue and inspection tasks.
From New Atlas — Robotics
Event evidence and corrections
1 attributed source owners. Ownership does not establish independent confirmation. Quantities are reported separately and are never added together.
Reported quantity · body lengths per second: 3.21 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“snaps. The snapping robot moved faster on every surface, reaching 3.21 body lengths per second on wood. Across all six surfaces, it averaged 2.46 body lengths per second, compared with 0.79 for the rigid-legged version. The difference was especially obvious on cloth and grass, where the rigid-legged robot nearly stalled. The prototype also climbed small steps and performed repeated backflips. Fitted with thin flexib”
Exact source · revision 2new-atlas
Reported quantity · body lengths per second: 2.46 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“snaps. The snapping robot moved faster on every surface, reaching 3.21 body lengths per second on wood. Across all six surfaces, it averaged 2.46 body lengths per second, compared with 0.79 for the rigid-legged version. The difference was especially obvious on cloth and grass, where the rigid-legged robot nearly stalled. The prototype also climbed small steps and performed repeated backflips. Fitted with thin flexib”
Exact source · revision 2new-atlas
Reported quantity · body lengths per second: 0.79 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“snaps. The snapping robot moved faster on every surface, reaching 3.21 body lengths per second on wood. Across all six surfaces, it averaged 2.46 body lengths per second, compared with 0.79 for the rigid-legged version. The difference was especially obvious on cloth and grass, where the rigid-legged robot nearly stalled. The prototype also climbed small steps and performed repeated backflips. Fitted with thin flexib”
Exact source · revision 2new-atlas
Reported quantity · length: 11 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“chers built an 11-cm-long (4.3-in), 98.2-g (3.5-oz) robot with two snapping rear limbs. As detailed in their study published in Science Advances , they then compared it with a version fitted with rigid legs on wood, cloth, acrylic, leather, grass, and sand. Both robots had equal-power motors, with one providing steady, continuous motion in the rigid legs and the other intermittently storing energy and releasing it in”
Exact source · revision 2new-atlas
Reported quantity · mass: 98.2 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“chers built an 11-cm-long (4.3-in), 98.2-g (3.5-oz) robot with two snapping rear limbs. As detailed in their study published in Science Advances , they then compared it with a version fitted with rigid legs on wood, cloth, acrylic, leather, grass, and sand. Both robots had equal-power motors, with one providing steady, continuous motion in the rigid legs and the other intermittently storing energy and releasing it in”
Exact source · revision 2new-atlas
Reported quantity · length: 4.3 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“chers built an 11-cm-long (4.3-in), 98.2-g (3.5-oz) robot with two snapping rear limbs. As detailed in their study published in Science Advances , they then compared it with a version fitted with rigid legs on wood, cloth, acrylic, leather, grass, and sand. Both robots had equal-power motors, with one providing steady, continuous motion in the rigid legs and the other intermittently storing energy and releasing it in”
Exact source · revision 2new-atlas
Reported quantity · mass: 3.5 other · Basis not reported · Differing source assertions
“chers built an 11-cm-long (4.3-in), 98.2-g (3.5-oz) robot with two snapping rear limbs. As detailed in their study published in Science Advances , they then compared it with a version fitted with rigid legs on wood, cloth, acrylic, leather, grass, and sand. Both robots had equal-power motors, with one providing steady, continuous motion in the rigid legs and the other intermittently storing energy and releasing it in”
Exact source · revision 2new-atlas
Evidence dependency changes (2)
- 2026-10-30T22:45:43.386Z · evidence updated · source revision 2. Evidence extraction was updated; current source attributions are shown above.
- 2026-10-30T22:45:26.698Z · evidence updated · source revision 2. Evidence extraction was updated; current source attributions are shown above.
Report timeline
Follow attributed reports and material updates.
- New Atlas — RoboticsSignalWound-helix robot leaps and bounds over obstacles
Researchers from UCLA and the University of Michigan have developed a frog-like robot that uses flexible rods to snap between shapes, enabling it to hop over obstacles, climb steps, and swim. The robot outperforms rigid-legged designs in speed and adaptability across various surfaces, offering potential applications in search-and-rescue and inspection tasks.
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