A robot with bird-like legs that can walk, hop, leap and jump for take-off into flight has been designed in Switzerland in an engineering breakthrough that could enable aircraft to operate in difficult-to-manage terrain.
The RAVEN (Robotic Avian-inspired Vehicle for multiple Environments) was engineered in by Won Dong Shin, a doctoral student at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and reported in the journal Nature today.
"I really enjoy watching birds and find them fascinating," Shin told Newsweek. "Their ability to combine aerial and terrestrial locomotion allows them to access places that humans cannot easily reach. This inspired me to consider the potential of a bird-like robot in various fields, particularly for delivery and search-and-rescue missions.
"Observing birds closely, I found their jumping take-off to be the most interesting. While conventional fixed-wing vehicles are inspired by birds, they rely on runways or launchers for take-off, unlike birds. I found the idea of eliminating the need for a runway or launcher in fixed-wing vehicles to be a fascinating research challenge."
The hindlimbs of birds have a range of functions, such as walking, hopping, leaping and jumping for take-off into flight. These are all capabilities which could be used for aerial robots. However, up to now, building robots that can do this was challenging, as the systems were either to complex, or heavy to fly properly.
Won Dong Shin and his colleagues overcame these engineering challenges to design a robot with limbs that can move like those of a bird. The limbs have structures that mimic a hip, ankle and foot, although the design is not as complex as the multisegmented leg anatomy seen in birds.
The fact that RAVEN can jump into take off, just like a bird, is shown to contribute substantially to flight take-off speed and is more energy efficient than taking off without a jump. Although further improvements are needed, the RAVEN leg design could inspire the design of more versatile machines that can use multiple ways of moving.
"RAVEN is the first engineered platform capable of multiple gait patterns and jumping take-off, Shin said. "If we only consider the jumping take-off capability, I believe RAVEN is the first platform of its kind among fixed-wing vehicles, as there have been jumping gliding robots, but not jumping flying robots."
Where might flying robots be used?
Shin said that he believes flying robots like RAVEN have many potential valuable applications.
"One potential application is delivery. While traditional fixed-wing vehicles are good at endurance and high-speed flight, their reliance on runways or launchers limits their broader applications."
"Fixed-wing vehicles could be highly effective for deliveries to remote or hard-to-reach areas. I have seen helicopters used to deliver supplies to mountainous regions, but they are costly. In contrast, a fixed-wing drone with jumping capability could deliver goods to these areas without requiring a runway or launcher for the return journey."
"Another application would be in search and rescue missions. A robot-like RAVEN could quickly fly to the target area using its fixed-wing flight. Once it arrives, the robot could land safely on the ground or on a structure (though RAVEN is not yet capable of this, its legs could potentially be used for landing)."
"By clearing different types of obstacles with its multiple gait patterns, the robot could locate people in danger or assess hazardous situations. Once the mission is complete, the robot could return to the base or another target area without the need for a runway or launcher by simply utilizing its jumping take-off capability."
The next research goal for Shin and his colleagues is to design a robot that lands using its legs.
"The air-to-ground transition using legs is a relatively underexplored field, and I hope to make advancements in this area," said Shin.
"Replacing the fixed wings with foldable wings would be necessary to enable RAVEN to pass through narrow passages. Studying the flapping flight of birds is another area I'd like to explore. Adding flapping wings to a robot like RAVEN would enhance flight agility and provide more opportunities to study bird flight."
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