A Deployable Bio-inspired Compliant Leg Design for Enhanced Leaping in Quadruped Robots

2026-03-01

AI Summary

This work addresses the challenge of achieving efficient explosive jumping in quadrupedal robots, which is inherently limited by motor peak power constraints. Inspired by the energy storage mechanism in froghopper legs, the authors propose a deployable, flexible bionic leg structure that integrates biomimetic energy storage with a lightweight, deployable design. The leg incorporates an internal lattice fabricated via 3D-printed PEBA elastomer to emulate biological tendons, storing elastic potential energy during the crouching phase and releasing it rapidly during takeoff. Through combined finite element analysis and experimental validation, the proposed design enhances the robot’s vertical jumping height by 17.1%, significantly improving its explosive jumping performance.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Motion and Path Planning
• Machine Learning: Bio-inspired Learning
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Replanning and Plan Repair

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Agentic search

Abstract

Quadruped robots are becoming increasingly essential for various applications, including industrial inspection and catastrophe search and rescue. These scenarios require robots to possess enhanced agility and obstacle-navigation skills. Nonetheless, the performance of current platforms is often constrained by insufficient peak motor power, limiting their ability to perform explosive jumps. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a bio-inspired method that emulates the energy-storage mechanism found in froghopper legs. We designed a Deployable Compliant Leg (DCL) utilizing a specialized 3D-printed elastic material, Polyether block amide (PEBA), featuring a lightweight internal lattice structure. This structure functions analogously to biological tendons, storing elastic energy during the robot's squatting phase and rapidly releasing it to augment motor output during the leap. The proposed mechanical design significantly enhances the robot's vertical jumping capability. Through finite element analysis (FEA) and experimental validation, we demonstrate a relative performance improvement of 17.1% in vertical jumping height.

Problem

• quadruped robots
• leaping
• motor power limitation
• agility
• obstacle navigation

Innovation

• bio-inspired
• compliant leg
• energy storage
• quadruped robot
• elastic lattice