Salto the squirrelly robot could be the future of space exploration and challenging rescue operations here on Earth: researchers

Engineers developing space exploration robots drew inspiration from the common squirrel for their latest cutting-edge bot design, which they say could also help in search and rescue missions during disasters.Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, created a robot capable of imitating the furry woodland creatures’ ability to hop and land on a narrow target, like squirrels do when they leap from branch to branch, according to a study.“We’ve been inspired by squirrels,” study co-author and Berkeley grad Justin Yim told Science News Explores on Tuesday.“Squirrels are nature’s best athletes,” added Robert Full, one of the study’s senior authors and a professor of integrative biology at UC Berkeley.

“The way that they can maneuver and escape is unbelievable.” The researchers studied how the bushy-tailed acrobats leap – and more importantly land – and applied that knowledge while building the one-legged robot they named Salto.“Based on studies of the biomechanics of squirrel leaps and landings, they have designed a hopping robot that can stick a landing on a narrow perch,” the university said in a press release.Salto is designed to mimic the acrobatic parkour skills of a squirrel and land with pinpoint precision.The pogo-stick-like bot’s nickname stands for Saltatorial Agile Locomotion on Terrain Obstacles, for its skill borrowed from the nut-loving rodents.“Saltatorial” is the scientific word to describe animals such as kangaroos, grasshoppers and rabbits that have evolved to be natural leapers.Salto will be able to not only explore low-gravity objects in space, researchers said, but also help people trapped in disasters here on Earth.“The robots we have now are OK, but how do you take it to the next level? How do you get robots to navigate a challenging environment in a disaster where you have pipes and beams and wires? Squirrels could do that, no problem.

Robots can’t do that,” Full said.“For example, in a disa...