By replacing the metal coil spring of a conventional pogo stick with a fiberglass bow, Carnegie Mellon University researchers have turned the pogo-stick toy into a jumping machine. It is called a BowGo. So far it has been able to clear obstacles as high as 42 inches.
souped-up Pogo Stick
The BowGo is a 45-inch, 9-pound pogo stick. It is souped-up with knowledge gained from robotic leg research to bounce higher, farther and more efficiently than conventional devices.
The key component is a fiber-reinforced epoxy composite strip that bows out and snaps back to hurl a user up to 3 feet off the ground. “Compared with coiled steel springs, the bowed composite stores as much as five times more energy per unit mass.”
A large, rubber-padded foot allows the BowGo to be used on relatively soft surfaces such as grass, sand and gravel. More of the story here.
I expected to see guy in the picture wearing a propeller beanie, but he is wearing a crash helmet instead.
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