Taking a leaf out of a grasshoppers life, this two-legged robot mimics its jumping abilities and has leaped 27 times its own height crushing previous records of 17 times using elastic energy stored in its in springs. Possible usages could include exploration of disaster areas, or even the surfaces of other planets. The jumping robot measures only 5 centimeters tall, and weighs just 7 grams. It has been created by researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland. This how it works, "A motor designed to power the vibration unit of a pager drives a system of gears that gradually wind two metal springs. When they are fully wound and then released, they straighten two metal legs that propel the robot upwards."

The 'Grasshopper' robot's motor takes 3.5 seconds to fully recharge the springs, and its 10 mAh battery is enough to power 108 jumps.

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