While many animals exhibit impressive hopping capabilities, machines have struggled to match their performance. Current hopping robots face limitations in power density, energy efficiency, and control stability. Here, we present a parallel-elastic actuation mechanism with a reactive latch that optimizes energy transfer, enabling a legged robot to achieve hopping heights and continuity previously unattainable. This mechanism efficiently stores and releases energy, extending the actuation period over the aerial phase while minimizing stance time. Our robot achieves a maximum hopping height of 3.6 meters, surpassing both human and animal records while demonstrating sustained, high-frequency hopping cycles with minimal power requirement. By integrating inertia-based onboard sensorimotor autonomy, we demonstrate stable, controlled hopping in environments without external aid. These results represent a step toward bridging the performance gap between biological and robotic locomotion, with potential to influence the design of future legged systems.

Mobile robots have revolutionized various fields, offering solutions for manipulation, environmental monitoring, and exploration. However, payload capacity remains a limitation. This paper presents a novel thrust-based robotic hopper capable of carrying payloads up to 9 times its own weight while maintaining agile mobility over less structured terrain. The 220 gram robot carries up to 2 kg while hopping—–a capability that bridges the gap between high-payload ground robots and agile aerial platforms. Key advancements that enable this high-payload capacity include the integration of bidirectional thrusters, allowing for both upward and downward thrust generation to enhance energy management while hopping. Additionally, we present a refined model of dynamics that accounts for heavy payload conditions, particularly for large jumps. To address the increased computational demands, we employ a neural network compression technique, ensuring real-time onboard control. The robot's capabilities are demonstrated through a series of experiments, including leaping over a high obstacle, executing sharp turns with large steps, as well as performing simple autonomous navigation while carrying a 730 g LiDAR payload. This showcases the robot's potential for applications such as mobile sensing and mapping in challenging environments.