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A hopping robot shows off its squirrel-like skills

The robot can take flying leaps and adjust its landing — just like squirrels do

A jumping robot with one leg leaps from one PVC pipe to another. A black net is strung below it.

A one-legged robot can hop from one narrow pipe to another and land balanced, like a squirrel leaping between branches.

Justin K. Yim

By Meghan Rosen

Salto the robot is acting a little squirrelly.

The jumping bot can take a flying leap and land on a narrow pipe ­­­— just like a squirrel soaring from branch to branch. It’s the first time scientists have been able to get a robot to land balanced on such a tiny target, says engineer Justin Yim, whose team reported the results March 19 in Science Robotics.