Even the narrow gaps… Folding drone

Drones vary in size. Drones that search for areas such as the affected area have to be equipped with large cameras, so they need some power, and the aircraft tends to grow as well. On the other hand, it is also necessary to consider the case of having to go through a narrow space. This is the reason for developing a form of drone that can transform into a four-wheeled vehicle by folding the arm so that it can move smoothly in a small place.

Among these, the Berkeley High-Performance Robot Lab (HiPeRLab) has developed a new concept called the Morphing Quadcopter, drawing attention. The morphing drone is folding four arms downward. What can be transformed into a shape that looks like an octopus straightened legs. What’s unique about morphing drones is that they don’t require power to shrink the arm. Instead, it is the driving force that is the key.

Morphing drones automatically fold their arms when the momentum is weak. In the morphing drone, when the propeller’s propulsion is weakened, the spring’s rotational force exceeds this and folds the arm to a size of 50% within 0.5 seconds. Conversely, when the driving force increases, the arm spreads. Whether the arm is contracted or not is controlled through the spring force. As a result, when the arm is unfolded, it is possible to pass through the gaps that cannot be passed through a 90-degree side inclined state. Being able to pass through narrow places.

A foldable drone that folds and unfolds the arm in this way needs more unnecessary parts, such as a motor, which is necessary for conversion. Morphing drones will be able to pass through narrow spaces without such a problem, but instead, it may require skillful skills to pass through the tortoise at a 90-degree angle while the momentum is weakened, and it may be difficult to continue the ascent in a narrow place. Related information can be found here .