Carnegie Mellon University just unveiled a pocket-sized wonder that’s shaking up robotics. Say hello to Zippy, the world’s tiniest self-contained bipedal robot, clocking in at just 3.6 centimeters tall—barely bigger than a LEGO minifig. Developed up by Aaron Johnson and Sarah Bergbreiter’s team, this mini marvel isn’t just a shrinking act; it’s a sneak peek at a world where micro-bots could squeeze into spots too tight for humans or bulky machines.
Zippy struts its stuff by hoisting one leg, tilting its weight forward, and letting momentum swing the other leg for a full step. It’s like watching a toddler stumble through their first walk, but this one’s powered by a lone actuator and a teensy onboard battery, ready to roam. “Both Zippy’s small size and our mechanical adjustments enable Zippy to walk at an incredible 10 leg lengths per second, which would be equivalent to an average adult moving at 19 miles per hour,” says Bergbreiter, a professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon. That’s not just fast—it’s a record-breaking sprint for a bipedal robot of any size, making Zippy the fastest power-autonomous two-legged bot out there.
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The team drew inspiration from an earlier robot named Mugatu, which had rounded feet and a single hip actuator. Zippy takes that concept further, swapping out a servo for a mechanical hard stop to limit its hip joint’s movement. This small modification, combined with clever design choices, allows Zippy to start from a standstill, turn, skip, and even climb small steps—all without any external power or control systems. “We’re trying to understand locomotion at miniature scales to pave the way for more capable small walking robots,” says Aaron Johnson, a mechanical engineering professor leading the project. The result is a robot that’s not just small but fiercely independent, ready to tackle tight spaces with agility.
Why go so small? Miniature robots like Zippy have a knack for getting into places that bigger bots can’t. Picture a collapsed building where survivors might be trapped in narrow gaps—Zippy could slip through, scouting for signs of life. “Legged robots have a serious edge in human-centric environments,” Johnson notes, highlighting their ability to navigate uneven terrain or cluttered spaces. This makes Zippy a potential game-changer for search-and-rescue operations or industrial inspections, where size and speed are critical.
The team at Carnegie Mellon sees Zippy as a stepping stone to more advanced micro-robots that could one day swarm through disaster zones or crawl through pipelines, gathering data humans can’t access. “Nimble robots like Zippy can navigate hard-to-reach spaces and assist in emergency search and rescue,” the university noted in a post on social media.
