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Main Authors: Chen, Yiyang, Liu, Yuxin, Zhou, Jinzheng, Wang, Fanxin, Bu, Qinglei, Sun, Jie, Cheng, Yikun
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.01128
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author Chen, Yiyang
Liu, Yuxin
Zhou, Jinzheng
Wang, Fanxin
Bu, Qinglei
Sun, Jie
Cheng, Yikun
author_facet Chen, Yiyang
Liu, Yuxin
Zhou, Jinzheng
Wang, Fanxin
Bu, Qinglei
Sun, Jie
Cheng, Yikun
contents 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.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_01128
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Deployable Bio-inspired Compliant Leg Design for Enhanced Leaping in Quadruped Robots
Chen, Yiyang
Liu, Yuxin
Zhou, Jinzheng
Wang, Fanxin
Bu, Qinglei
Sun, Jie
Cheng, Yikun
Robotics
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.
title A Deployable Bio-inspired Compliant Leg Design for Enhanced Leaping in Quadruped Robots
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.01128