See a winged robot that can land on a branch by itself

Researchers have created a claw that allows ornithopters to perch autonomously on branches, just like birds. The results of the research were published in the journal Science Communication.

Ornithopters are biologically inspired machines that flap their wings for propulsion and glide. Despite being able to simulate birds’ flight mode, one thing was still the limit: landing.

However, thanks to the partnership between EPFL (Escola Politécnica Federal de Lausanne, Switzerland) and the University of Sevilla, Spain, this impasse has begun to be resolved.

Scientists have created a single-clawed ornithopter robot that can land alone on a horizontal perch!

See the video.

Raphael Zufferey, creator of the claw and a postdoctoral student in the Intelligent Systems Lab and Biorobotics Lab at EPFL, explains that the option of one claw rather than two, as in birds, is due to the need to maintain lightness. and stability of the robot.

However, the landing gear system, in addition to supporting the weight and impact on approaching the target, had to provide stability to the robot during landing.

Additionally, to strike the balance between agility and precision, the robot includes several sensors that display concepts of speed, distance, and even the relative position between object and target. This joint operation of the sensors allows the robot to land autonomously.

For now, tests were only conducted in the lab, due to the need for monitoring to correct malfunctions.

But with the success of the initiatives, researchers are excited about the possible uses of ornithopters, which can range from collecting samples from hard-to-reach places to increasing flight autonomy; energy. sun.