New York: American scientists have created an insect-like robot that can lift 22 times its own weight.

This robot, built by Robert Shepherd, a materials engineer from Cornell University in Ithica, New York, and his colleagues, moves with the help of small actuators.

According to Cameron Aubin, a student of Robert Shepherd, the actuator is a hollow cylinder with elastomeric silicone rubber on top.

The scientists used four actuators to drive the robot’s legs. Each leg is filled with methane and oxygen, which are ignited by electricity from a battery to make the robot jump or crawl.

The gasses in the cylinder react to form water and carbon dioxide and release energy in the form of a small explosion that causes the rubber layer to deform.

According to Robert Shepherd, these small explosions happen so quickly that they don’t ignite or damage the rubber. But they provide enough power that the robot can jump 22 times its own weight up to a height of 56 cm.

According to Ryan Turby, a materials scientist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, the team of researchers has improved chemical actuation to impressive levels.

The research was published in the journal Science.