This video shows the robot in action — jumping onto a one story building and straight up the side of a dirt hill. The Sand Flea’s name hints as the bot’s capabilities — it can move undetected and close to the ground while springing up into the air to jump onto higher ground.
The bot has enough energy to jump 25 times and last two hours using its fuel supply and piston actuator. The controller can choose how high and at what angle the Sand Flea jumps, while the bot’s four wheels cushion its landing.
The project was funded by DARPA, JIEDDO (Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization) and the U.S. Army’s Rapid Equipping Force. The video notes that an earlier version of the Sand Flea was developed by Sandia National Labs.
The U.S. Army is stocking up on all kinds of small robots. In early March, JIEDDO, which operates under the Department of Defense and seeks to locate IED threats, ordered 105 small robots, similar to the Sand Flea, from iRobot Corp. In February, the U.S. Army placed its largest order of micro-robots ever with the company ReconRobotics in a contract for $13.9 million of small bots that will be used for surveillance purposes with soldiers overseas.
What do you think the Sand Flea will be used for? What additional features could make it more useful? Tell us in the comments.
