Meet Olympus, a four-legged robot developed and built by Jørgen Anker Olsen, visiting PhD researcher from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

When on ground, the robot moves around using its four ‘double’ legs – each one consists of two limbs with a bending joint, connected at the bottom in a paw-like patch.

“One of the potential applications of robots like Olympus is the exploration of Mars,” explains Jørgen. “They could easily move around the planet’s surface, as well as venture beneath it, for example into the martian lava rubes – volcanic caverns that would be too high-risk for flying probes, like drones, to explore.

“In addition, legged robots can jump over obstacles that would be too challenging for robots moving on wheels or tracks. In lower gravity, their jumping ability becomes an even bigger advantage, allowing them to jump much higher than they would on Earth.”