Grasshopping robots made possible with new, improved latch control

If animals and insects can jump across grass and sand, why can't robots? Sarah Bergbreiter, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has found that researchers don't have to look far to enable this in robots. Existing latch mechanisms that were once thought of as an 'on' or 'off' switch to release stored energy can also be used to control jump performance across a wide range of terrains.