SpaceBok Leaps Through Low Gravity

Jul-15-19 The SpaceBok robot is designed to travel in low gravity with controlled leaps inspired by the springbok.

Created by students from ETH Zurich and ZHAW Zurich, the SpaceBok relies on ‘dynamic walking’ to travel in lunar environments, allowing all four legs to leave the ground and reaching heights over six feet. This style of momentum—seen in the original lunar explorers who used a hopping gait—is more efficient in low-gravity environments such as the Moon or Mars. To help ensure the SpaceBok lands safely, the team equipped it with a reaction wheel similar to those used on satellites that will adjust the bot’s orientation, as well as spring-loaded legs that store energy for the next leap.

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