The EPFL said Monday, accompanying a recently published article in the journal Nature Communications, that robots that flap their wings like birds to fly have not landed on the ground until now. Weighing 700 grams, the EPFL bird robot is the first of its kind. It can fly on a horizontal bar on its own and grab hold of it with its mechanical claws.
The propellerless robot is ideal for nature observation, for example, as it can move more quietly and unobtrusively than drones, the authors wrote in the study. A so-called ornithopter is also ideal for inspecting pipes or power lines in areas where wild animals are easily disturbed.
As simple as it sounds in nature, lowering a bird onto a branch is a complex maneuver. The ornithopter should have been able to slow down significantly without crashing. The claw had to be strong enough to hold the perch and bear the weight of the robot without being heavy enough to cause the robot to fall.
The robot also needed to be able to sense its surroundings and perch in relation to its own position, speed and trajectory. To do this, the scientists equipped the ornithopter with a complete on-board computer and a navigation system.
The trick: for now, the robot could only land indoors. Outdoors, the ornithopter has yet to locate a branch with sufficient accuracy.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35356-5
(SDA)