Meet SandFlea, the robot capable of jumping over buildings

The next level of urban surveillance is here: meet SandFlea, an 11 pound (5kg) race car like robot that can jump. Yes, it literally hurdles 30 ft (just over nine metres) into the air, enabling it to jump over a standard wall, onto a roof up a flight of stairs or into a second story window.

Built by Boston Dynamics, the SandFlea uses gyro stabilization to keep it level during the jump. This also ensures a smooth landing with big rubber wheels to absorb shock as it hits a surface. The gyroscope also makes for a clear view from the on-board camera. SandFlea uses a laser range finder to measure the distance to its landing target and calculates the route. It then positions itself skyward and fires a launch piston powered with compressed air. An electronic device that needs to be charged, this little robot car can jump 25 times on one charging session.

Earlier versions of SandFlea were developed by Sandia National Laboratory with funding from DARPA and JIEDDO.

Watch the video below to see this jumping robot in action: