Building an acrobatic robot is easier said than done. Disney Researchers have built a robot with 2 degrees of freedom that uses a gravity-driven pendulum to complete stunts. It uses an IMU and laser range-finder to estimate its state mid-flight.
The robot has 3 links that tuck and untuck to allow it to increase and decrease its rate of spin mid-air. Stickman can perform single and double backflips.
[HT]