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ANDY TORBET:Welcome to Beyond Bionic on ���˿��� Teach. I'm Andy Torbet, the show's presenter. In each episode I take on some of nature's best athletes, and try and match their super skills.

ANDY TORBET:And here's what happened when I tried to take on one of nature's best high-jumpers, the grasshopper.

ANDY TORBET:'My Beyond Bionic challenge 'is to match the grasshopper's jumping ability.'

ANDY TORBET:Grass

ANDY TORBET:So if I'm to stand any chance of beating a grasshopper size for size, then I'm going to have to try to jump over 17 metres high. 'That's like me being able to jump over this castle.

ANDY TORBET:'If I'm going to do it, 'I'll need to get to grips with some springy science.

ANDY TORBET:'I've been set the ultimate jumping challenge. 'I need to be able to jump ten times my body height 'just like the mighty grasshopper.

ANDY TORBET:'If I'm to do it, 'I'll have to get to grips with something called potential energy. 'Potential energy is stored energy 'that can be converted into kinetic or movement energy.

ANDY TORBET:'Grasshoppers have elastic muscles and tendons in their knees 'which can be stretched out and store energy 'When they're ready to bounce, 'the elastic is released and off they leap.

ANDY TORBET:'Human legs just don't have the same elastic ability, 'so I'll need to turn to tech in order to gain that raw jumping power.

ANDY TORBET:'I've come to the English Institute of Sport, 'to test out these springy gadgets to see how high I can jump.'

ANDY TORBET:To make this a bit more scientific, we're using special mats called smart jumps, and Amelia here is going to operate them for me.

ANDY TORBET:'First up, it's the pogo stick.'

ANDY TORBET:Well let's stop there shall we. How was that?

AMELIA:That was 5cm.

ANDY TORBET:5cm? A little bit disappointing but frankly I'm happy I'm still in one piece.

ANDY TORBET:'These are rebound boots, 'and are designed to put spring in the step of cross-training athletes.' But will they give me the height of a grasshopper?

ANDY TORBET:'I'm certainly getting some height now and I haven't fallen over.'

AMELIA:That was 46cm.

ANDY TORBET:'Whoa, a big improvement. 'For my last attempt I'm using jumping stilts.'

ANDY TORBET:Dare I ask, how was that?

AMELIA:That was 6cm.

ANDY TORBET:I am no grasshopper. 'Looks like it's time to change tactics.

ANDY TORBET:'This is scientist, Helen Chesky. 'She's a physicist.

ANDY TORBET:'And I'm hoping she can help me unlock the secret 'to the grasshopper's gargantuan jump.'

HELEN CHESKY:Well you've definitely got your work cut out because the grasshopper has had millions of years of evolution to get this right.

HELEN CHESKY:But I think I can help, and the secret is all in this glider here which is a different type of beast but the trick is in how it's launched.

HELEN CHESKY:So let me show you how that works.

ANDY TORBET:Okay. This should be interesting.

HELEN CHESKY:So the thing about a glider is that technically it's an unpowered aircraft, which is fine once it's in the air, but you need to get it up there. So you need some energy to do it.

HELEN CHESKY:And the way they launch their gliders here is really clever, because it uses elastic. So when you have a piece of elastic, you stretch it out, you're storing up potential energy, storing more and more and when you release it you get all that energy back.

ANDY TORBET:But how does that relate to how a grasshopper jumps?

HELEN CHESKY:Well inside a grasshopper's knees it's got something called a cuticle which does the job of the elastic band. So it can use its muscles to store up the potential energy and release it when it's time to jump.

ANDY TORBET:'And the same principle is used when launching a glider.'

4000:04:22:14 00:04:33:06HELEN CHESKY:The clever thing about the elastic is that you can put energy in, store it up slowly, slowly add it all up, but as soon as you let it go you get an explosive release of energy.

ANDY TORBET:'That's one epic launch. 'What I need for this challenge is a huge piece of elastic 'that I can release instantly.

ANDY TORBET:'But where am I going to find a piece of elastic big enough?' Maybe something like that!

ANDY TORBET:So here's my plan. I take some bungie rope, because I think that's the perfect material for the job, and tie it to myself, but rather than jumping off something and falling down I'll tie myself, stretch it back and be catapulted up into the air.

ANDY TORBET:'Like the glider and the grasshopper's knees, 'that stretched out bungie cord will store potential energy.

ANDY TORBET:'When Scott pulls the pin, 'that stored energy should instantly be put to use 'and fire me into the air.

ANDY TORBET:'8 metres of bungie cord are being stretched out by crane, 'to become 40 metres long.

ANDY TORBET:'Yeah, that should do it.

ANDY TORBET:Okay?

ASSISTANT:Yep.

ANDY TORBET:Time to go beyond bionic.

ANDY TORBET:'I've done it. I've gone over 40m into the air. 'That means I've matched the grasshopper 'and jumped more than 20 times my body height.'

ANDY TORBET:Well that challenge was full of ups and downs but it goes to show just how incredible a creature even as small as a grasshopper is I had to use cutting edge technology to be able to match it's super strength.

ANDY TORBET:And remember, you can catch more Beyond Bionic on ���˿��� Teach. I'll see you next time.