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American robotic engineering company Boston Dynamics, which is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, is developing the Sand Flea under a funding agreement with the U.S. Army's Rapid Equipping Force.
The IEEE Spectrum article Boston Dynamics Sand Flea Robot Demonstrates Astonishing Jumping Skills states the following: 'The piston (which looks as if it fires out the back of the robot, as opposed to downwards) is powered by CO2 [carbon dioxide], and Sand Flea can make 25 jumps in a row before it needs to juice itself up again.'
The Sand Flea is being developed for use in military situations, such as in current scenarios in Afghanistan.
And, he PhysOrg.com article Sand Flea robot is set to leap into reconnaissance (w/ video) states, 'Before that, the Sand Flea will undergo safety and reliability checks at the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC).'
Further, 'The intended use of Sand Flea is as a ruggedized reconnaissance robot. Sand Flea will help soldiers run reconnaissance mission and other tasks. After passing evaluations in the U.S., the robots will be tested in Afghanistan, for tasks like hopping over walls and relaying video back while in the air.'
Page two concludes with the robot-jumping video.
