So the actuators help the system traverse uneven terrain and help it jump high. In terms of real-world use, however, the system still has a long way to go.
“Compared to walking robots with electric motors, our system is still limited. The leg is currently attached to a rod, jumps in circles and can’t yet move freely,” says Christoph Keplinger, a professor at Max Planck Institute. “If we combine the robotic leg in a quadruped robot or a humanoid robot with two legs, maybe one day, when it is battery-powered, we can deploy it as a rescue robot.”