Although autonomous flying robots hold promising potential, their practicality is limited if they can't navigate uneven terrain after landing. However, a new experimental bio-inspired robot overcomes this limitation by mimicking the gait of a raven.

Figure 1. Biomimetic Robotic Bird-Plane

Named RAVEN (Robotic Avian-inspired Vehicle for multiple ENvironments), the device was developed by Won Dong Shin and colleagues at EPFL in Switzerland. Although it resembles a flapping-wing robot, it actually flies using a combination of two semi-fixed wings and a propeller. Figure 1 shows Biomimetic Robotic Bird-Plane.

RAVEN's standout feature is its multi-jointed legs. While not as anatomically complex as those of a real raven, they replicate the articulated hips, ankles, and feet of a raven's legs. This design enables the robot to walk by alternately placing one foot in front of the other, hop over small gaps or obstacles, and jump onto elevated surfaces.

Similar to a real raven, the robot can also jump to assist with takeoff. Tests demonstrated that using this jumping technique to boost takeoff speed is significantly more energy-efficient than taking off without the jump.

"Multifunctional robot legs broaden the potential for deploying traditional fixed-wing aircraft in complex terrains by enabling autonomous take-offs and multimodal gaits," the scientists write in a paper on their research, recently published in the journal Nature.

Source: Scimex

Cite this article:

Janani R (2024), Biomimetic Robotic Bird-Plane Takes Flight with A Leap, AnaTechmaz, pp.101