Microscale internal combustion engine powers insect robot

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a tiny quadruped robot powered by combustion actuators fueled by methane and oxygen. The insect-sized robot, published in Science, can jump 59 centimeters straight up and walk while carrying 22 times its own weight. The researchers aim to apply the power generated by the combustion actuators to large-scale, variable-recruitment musculature for stronger, more agile robots. "Putting thousands of these actuators in bundles over a rigid endoskeleton could allow for dexterous and fast land-based hybrid robots," said one researcher.