Jumping on Air: Design and Modeling of Latch-mediated, Spring-actuated Air-jumpers

Latch-mediated spring-actuation (LaMSA) is utilized in a majority of jumping robots for its ability to slowly load and quickly release energy to generate high-power movement. Such mechanisms are found in robots that jump off of solid surfaces and even off of water. However, no robot currently employs LaMSA to jump on air. This paper presents the design, modeling, and fabrication of the first LaMSA-driven air jumper, capable of jumping mid-air. Our model informs prototype design and provides insight into the scaling properties of the wing area, wing and fuselage mass, and energy. By successfully applying LaMSA to a new domain, this work lays the foundation for future investigations into high-power airreaction maneuvers, such as in fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight, by enabling instantaneous changes in altitude without the addition of extra on-board motors.