A team of engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has unveiled an innovative flying robot capable of changing shape in mid-air and continuing its journey on wheels, avoiding the limitations of traditional drones. traditional drones. This breakthrough offers an efficient solution for operations in irregular environments where landing first is not a viable option.
How does the flying robot system work?
The robot, called ATMO, uses four thrusters to fly, while its protective covers are reconfigured into wheels at the moment of initiating terrestrial displacement. The entire transformation process is managed through a central joint and a single motor, which changes the orientation of the system according to the desired mode of locomotion.
One of the biggest challenges the developers faced was maintaining stability during the aerial transition. To solve it, they integrated a model predictive control algorithm, which anticipates the robot’s behavior during the shape change and adjusts its actions in real time. This approach is essential to compensate for complex aerodynamic forces that appear close to the ground.
The inspiration for the project comes from the ability of some birds to modify their morphology in flight. This natural strategy was applied to the design of the robot to achieve greater autonomy and adaptability. According to the researchers, the technology could be implemented in automated delivery systems y robotic exploration missions in hard-to-reach areas.
Tests and experimental validation
During testing at the Caltech lab, the team used load sensors and flow visualization techniques to analyze the impact of turbulence generated by the transformation. This data was integrated into the control algorithm, improving its accuracy in real-world situations.
The development of ATMO was led by Caltech researchers, including Ioannis Mandralis and Mory Gharib, with support from the Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies (CAST). The researchers describe the robot and the sophisticated control system that drives it in a paper recently published in the journal Communications Engineering.
With this new platform, hybrid robots hybrid robots move towards a new standard of autonomous mobility, with the ability to adapt dynamically to different environments without interruption.
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Source and photos: Caltech
