Researchers at Harvard have built a robot that jumps using controlled explosions, reports Phys Org.

The research team, led by George Whitesides, is working to create a robot that uses explosions in its legs to jump. The work, supported by teh Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has resulted in a small, three-legged robot made of soft materials that can leap 30 times its own height. Their findings have been published in Angewandte Chemie.

The robot is made out of flexible, rubbery silicone and the explosions are created when methane and oxygen in tubes within its legs are ignited. The rubbery material absorbs the explosion and doesn't damage the robot. By fine tuning the explosions in the three legs, the researchers can ensure that the robot stays level, vital for a stable landing after the high jump.