Crash-perching on vertical poles with a hugging-wing robot
Mohammad Askari, Michele Benciolini, Hoang-Vu Phan, William Stewart,, Auke J. Ijspeert, Dario Floreano

TL;DR
This paper introduces a passive, wing-morphing UAV design that enables crash-landing and perching on vertical poles and trees, simplifying the process compared to complex control systems.
Contribution
The study presents a novel passive reorientation and perching method using dual-purpose wings inspired by animals, allowing simple crash-landing on various vertical structures.
Findings
Reorients at impact angles above 15° and speeds of 3-9 m/s
Successfully perches on poles larger than 28% of wingspan
Achieved 71% success rate in crash-perching on tree trunks
Abstract
Perching with winged Unmanned Aerial Vehicles has often been solved by means of complex control or intricate appendages. Here, we present a simple yet novel method that relies on passive wing morphing for crash-landing on trees and other types of vertical poles. Inspired by the adaptability of animals' and bats' limbs in gripping and holding onto trees, we design dual-purpose wings that enable both aerial gliding and perching on poles. With an upturned nose design, the robot can passively reorient from horizontal flight to vertical upon a head-on crash with a pole, followed by hugging with its wings to perch. We characterize the performance of reorientation and perching in terms of impact speed and angle, pole material, and size. The robot robustly reorients at impact angles above 15{\deg} and speeds of 3 m/s to 9 m/s, and can hold onto various pole types larger than 28% of its wingspan…
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Taxonomy
TopicsRobotic Locomotion and Control
