The biomimetics researcher Rhodri Armour at the University of Bath has designed a robot dubbed as the Jollbot that is basically a spherical cage and can roll and jump in any direction.

If in case Jollbot is not able to go around an obstacle, it goes over it. In order to jump over something, the cage compresses and springs open. It is the mechanism inspired by the joints of a grasshopper’s legs.

The creator of Jollbot, Armour also hopes that the two pound Jollbot will be able to handle rough terrain on other planets, other than rolling and jumping.

Armour said in a press release, “We've made a robot that jumps in a similar way to the grasshopper, but uses electrical motors to slowly store the energy needed to leap in its springy skeleton. Future prototypes could include a stretchy skin covered in solar cells on the outside of the robot, so it could power itself, and robotic control sensors to enable it to sense its environment.”