Launching of a Cyborg Locust via Co-Contraction Control of Hindleg Muscles

Jumping is beneficial for microrobots because they have to face obstacles larger than their height frequently. However, compacting a jumping mechanism into the small body of a microrobot is exceptionally challenging. Instead of assembling a bio-inspired microrobot, the insect itself can be transformed into a jumping robot. Herein, we demonstrated the first-ever biohybrid jumping robot that retained the natural jumping ability of a locust. The fast kicking of the locust's hindleg was mainly induced by two muscles, flexor muscle, and extensor muscle. The elaborate structure and accurate collaboration of the muscles are critical for leg kicking, contributing to the co-contraction process. In this article, we investigated the sequences of muscular activities and demonstrated the co-contraction control exogenously. The kicking control of the hindleg relies on the accurately overlapped stimulation and the independently modulated waveform. With the help of a tiny wireless stimulator, the cyborg locust was remotely controlled to jump an average of 10.4 cm high and 42.6 cm far. Moreover, the cyborg locust retained its internal body righting mechanism, which means the robot can quickly recover its posture for consecutive jumping. This work is a foundational step towards a fully controllable biohybrid jumping robot.