Little African primate's talents invent leaping robot

A new robot dubbed Salto, by scientists, for its vertical jumping agility, is shown in Berkeley, California, U.S. November 17, 2016. Courtesy of Stephen McNally/University of California/Handout via Reuters

Inspired by the remarkable jumping ability of an African primate called a galago, scientists have fashioned a small robot with unique leaping capabilities they hope can someday be used in tricky search-and-rescue situations.

The scientists said on Tuesday they had built a robot, dubbed Salto, with vertical jumping agility like no other machine, able to leap into the air and then spring off a wall, or perform multiple vertical jumps consecutively.