Sand Flea — Photo: Boston Dynamics (official image), from bostondynamics.com. Image policy

RetiredSucceeded by LS3 (Legged Squad Support System) United StatesRemote-controlled

Boston Dynamics · military or security robot

Sand Flea

A small four-wheeled robot that drives normally, then uses a piston to leap tall obstacles. Boston Dynamics lists it among its legacy machines.

Price: —Not published
Height: —Not published
Weight: 5 kgHeavier than 3%
Payload: —Not published
Speed: —Not published
Battery: —Not published

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Why it matters

A remote-controlled wheeled robot that could vault onto roofs and over walls, jumping about 9 m (30 ft) high.

Real-world use

US military research (programme details not given on the page used)

Timeline

First shown: 2012
Released: Not yet

Listed by Boston Dynamics with a 2012 date

Maker

Boston DynamicsCompany · founded 1992 · Waltham, Massachusetts, United States

Owned by Hyundai Motor Group since June 2021 (80% stake bought from SoftBank for about $880M; SoftBank kept about 20%).

How it stacks up

Against other military & security that publish the figure. Pick a measure.

Sand Flea is heavier than 3% of the 35 other military & security that publish a weight. Bars show the 7 closest in date.

Weight 5 kg 0.5 kg15000 kg #35 of 36 · heavier than 3%

Not published by the maker: height, speed, payload, joints, battery, price.

Public attention

A historic robot: no longer sold or in use, so it is not ranked against current machines.

No Wikipedia article of its own yet
No recent press stories listed yet

Measures how much people read and write about a robot, not how good it is. Measured 2026-10-13; same method for every robot. How it is measured

What’s inside

The parts the company has talked about publicly.

Movement: Other movement
How it runs: Remote-controlled. It was remotely controlled, with built-in stabilization for its high jumps.
Actuators & motors: Wheeled body with a jumping mechanism able to vault about 30 ft (9 m).
AI & software: Remote controlled; built-in stabilisation keeps the camera view steady in flight.
Other details: About 11 lb (5 kg).

Lineage

Every Boston Dynamics machine in order.

Boston Dynamics also makes 5 humanoids. See every Boston Dynamics robot

Watch Sand Flea

Video: Boston Dynamics on YouTube. Plays from youtube-nocookie.com when you press play.

Made, sold and where

Unit counts are usually company figures; analysts often disagree.

Price: Not published
How to get one: No official buying page found
Built: Military research units
Sold or delivered: not sold commercially
Where it is sold or used: Boston Dynamics, Massachusetts
Customers and pilots: US military research (programme details not given on the page used)

Sources

Figures come from the maker. Every link below backs something on this page.

Boston Dynamics Legacy robots Boston Dynamics Boston Dynamics History & Legacy — Handle

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