Extreme Pogo Stick Uses Robotic Leg Technology

The pogo stick, once just a springy toy that helped kids hop a few inches off the ground, has evolved into high-performance equipment for extreme athletes, capable of launching people eight feet or more into the air. And arguably the most extreme of these new sticks is the “BowGo,” developed at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute.


The top pogo athletes in the world will have their annual gathering in Pittsburgh this month at a four-day extravaganza, Aug. 19-22, called Pogopalooza. Several will be aboard newly built versions of BowGo that get their bounce from a fiberglass bow of high tensile strength.

“It’s the smoothest ride of any of the extreme pogo sticks,” said Nick Ryan, the organizer of Pogopalooza and a rising junior majoring in both English and public policy at Carnegie Mellon. “Athletes riding BowGos are favored to win the high jump event, possibly clearing 9 or 9 ½ feet.”