Could Humans Use Grasshoppers’ Secrets to Jump Higher?

Abstract

For humans, the ability to jump is an indicator of physical fitness and the ability to move well. To figure out how to jump higher, one solution is to look at animals that do it very well, like grasshoppers. These animals have a tiny mechanism in their knees that works like a sling and enables them to jump very high. Given how well this sling-like mechanism works, could bigger animals—or humans—use it to make huge jumps? The answer, surprisingly, is no: increasing body size makes animals better at producing energy with sling-like mechanisms, but it also increases the energy required to achieve the same jump height. By reading this article, you will learn how physics and geometry help biologists answer a question about how animals move. Let us jump right in!