Springy

If you say “jump” I say “how high?” – and a new robot from UC Santa Barbara says “over 100 ft (30 m).” The research team says that’s higher than anything else has ever jumped, be it robot or animal, thanks to a unique design that multiplies its stored energy.The strange robot looks like a toy rocket sitting atop two intersecting bicycle wheels. The “tires” of those wheels are carbon-fiber compression bows, while the spokes are rubber bands extending from a spindle running up the center.To make the device jump, a motor…