A robot that can leap  like a grasshopper and roll like a ball could be the future of space exploration. The “Jollbot” is the first robot with the power to jump over obstructions and roll over even terrain. The robot was developed by the University of Bath’s Center for Biomimetic & Natural Technologies in England. The robot is a suitable candidate for soil surveys of planets or moon, due to these advantages:

* The Jollbot’s spherical construction permits it to roll in any direction, allowing the movement of wheels without the potential of flipping over or becoming stuck in potholes.
* Its cage-like exterior is elastic and small — weighing less than two pounds — this means that it will not get battered easily following make high jumps and is therefore less costly than other existing exploration robots.

* Its jumping capacity are commanded by electrical motors that slowly collect the energy necessary to bounce into a jump, copying  the instinctive motion of grasshoppers, following  a “pause and leap” movement by storing muscle power in spring-like structures, and then quickly liberating the energy to make the jump.

The robot becomes prepared to hop by squeezing itself slowly — storing energy in the action — and then expel that energy all at one time, and bouncing upwards in the air to approximately 20 inches.

Researchers are currently looking into ways to improve the Jollbot’s technology so that it can power itself in space, such as having a stretchy skin of solar panels on the exterior of the machine, and robotic control sensors to allow it to monitor its environment.