Salto jumps at complex tasks with new control systems

In work being carried out for the US Army, Salto - saltatorial locomotion on terrain obstacles - has been modified for extra capabilities such as bouncing in place, navigating an obstacle course or following a moving target.

According to UC Berkeley, the researchers hope Salto’s new capabilities will propel the development of small, nimble robots that could leap through rubble to aid in search-and-rescue and other military missions.

"The physical environment the army operates in is highly irregular, cluttered, and constantly changing," said Dr Samuel Stanton, program manager at US Army Research Office. "The science underlying the advancements is critical for achieving the desired mobility, speed of action, and situational awareness generation necessary for future army operations."

The research team described the robot's new skills at the 2019 International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Montreal May 21.

"Small robots are really great for a lot of things, like running around in places where larger robots or humans can't fit. For example, in a disaster scenario, where people might be trapped under rubble, robots might be really useful at finding the people in a way that is not dangerous to rescuers and might even be faster than rescuers could have done unaided," said UC Berkeley robotics graduate student Justin Yim. "We wanted Salto to not only be small, but also able to jump really high and really quickly so that it could navigate these difficult places."