The goal of this project was to create a toy that could "hop a significant height with relation to it's size." The easiest way to do this would be to make the smallest and lightest device possible. However, I wanted to build something a little more interesting, and decided to mimic a species of rolling caterpillar that jumps to run away from a predator. To do this, I designed a system of 6 segments that were pulled into a circle by a piece of elastic tubing. Two suction cups held it down onto a surface for a brief period. One suction cup then released, randomly either one, first creating a spin, and then causing the other to release. The entire device then jumped into the air and rolled away as it hit the ground. 

---