"Ascento" is the name given to the sophisticated device by its creators, a team of eight students majoring in mechanical engineering and one in electrical engineering. The robot is quite special: It moves and balances on two wheels. From an engineering standpoint, this is significantly more difficult than building a device on four wheels. However, a bipedal robot provides much better mobility and adaptability to different terrain types.

That's not all: The main goal of the nine up-and-coming engineers is to make the robot leap. They want it to be able to jump high, like a kangaroo, and land again safely on its two wheels. “This would enable the robot to master stairs and other obstacles,” student Florian Weber explains. The Ascento team originated from a focus project. In this type of project, undergraduate students of various disciplines have a chance to apply their knowledge to a concrete project – from the initial idea to a functioning prototype.

The special feature of the Ascento is that it is designed as an inverted pendulum: The center of gravity is above the axis. As a result, the Ascento is able to stand and move only as long as it is powered and actively maintaining balance on its wheels – similar to a standing human, who continuously has to expend energy to maintain balance. This makes the Ascento comparable to a Segway, which is also driven by two wheels that are on the same axis and requires a controlled drive to maintain balance.