Drone designers are making highly-versatile drones that can switch between driving and flying. It’s a preview of our future where autonomous transportation might one day comprise flying cars switching seamlessly between busy roads and airways to navigate streets in dense urban areas.
The HUUVER (a Hybrid UAV-UGV for Efficient Relocation of Vessel) combines an aerial drone with a ground-based drone. It features propellers and tank-like treads, allowing it to roll along the ground and then fly in the air on demand.
A European Union project led by Cervi Robotics – Dronehub (Poland) is developing the HUUVER. Other partners include Gina Software (Czech Republic), Rectangle (Poland), LUT University (Finland), Brimatech Services (Austria), Bladescape (Austria), and NTT Data (Spain).
The drone, currently a prototype, measures 53.9 long, 33 wide, 22 in high (137 cm, 84 cm, by 56 cm), and weighs 51 lb (23 kg). Operators can remotely pilot the HUUVER in real time, observing output from its Sony 4K optical and FLIR thermal imaging cameras. It can also fly autonomously, guided by a Galileo satellite positioning system. Additionally, a Velodyne Puck LITE LiDAR sensor that uses an onboard Nvidia Jetson AGX Xavier microprocessor helps the drone identify and avoid obstacles.
The HUUVER uses its pair of linked treads to travel along the ground, with a lithium battery offering up to 10 hours per charge. When missions call for the drone to fly in the air, it starts up its eight propellers, which remain aligned with the treads when not in use. However, the drone won’t be able to travel long distances as it can fly for only 20 minutes.
According to a Dronehub representative, the research and development phase of the HUUVER project is almost complete, with the commercialization phase currently beginning. However, there’s still no date on when the drone will be available, but when it is, it will likely be aimed primarily at search-and-rescue, military, and industrial usage.
Watch the prototype in action in the video below, as the team demonstrates one potential-use scenario where it delivers emergency medical supplies.
Engineers at Virginia Tech took the drone’s adaptabilities up a notch. They developed a soft robot that can morph into various shapes, allowing it to drive, swim or fly, thanks to its rubber skin containing a metal that shifts between liquid and solid forms effortlessly.
To create this highly-versatile robot, the researchers developed a material that could transform its shape on-demand, maintain that shape for as long as required, then return to its original configuration, and repeat this process several times. This material comprises an elastomer endoskeleton cut in a kirigami pattern of triangles. Within this material is a network of tubes containing a metal alloy with a low melting point and a set of tendril-shaped heaters. Finally, the structure can be integrated with motors, actuators, and other components for shape and movement changing.
How does it work? The robot starts flat, with the internal metal alloy in its liquid form. It can then be stretched, bent, and twisted into the desired shape for the robot, at which point the metal strengthens into a solid, keeping it in that shape. After the assigned mission is complete, the heaters can turn on to warm that metal to 140°F (60°C), which melts it and returns the robot to its original form. This process can then be repeated into another shape if needed. According to the team, it can morph and harden into shape in under one-tenth of a second!
In tests, the engineers used the material to make a robot that could drive along the ground and then morph into a flying drone. It is a flat sheet with skyward-facing propellers in its flying form, and in its driving configuration, it looks like an upside-down taco shape with wheels. Another test involved using the material to create a mini-submarine, which could swim to the bottom of an aquarium, collect marbles and carry them to the surface.
Edward J. Barron III, the study’s co-author, said:
We’re excited about the opportunities this material presents for multifunctional robots. These composites are strong enough to withstand the forces from motors or propulsion systems, yet can readily shape morph, which allows machines to adapt to their environment.
The research was published on Feb 9, 2022, in the journal Science Robotics. Meanwhile, you can see the robot in action in a video on the Virginia Tech website.
We previously reported nature-inspired morphing aerial drones, which mimic the way birds navigate around obstacles and through small openings – by morphing their shape, folding up, or tucking in their wings. They wanted to translate these capabilities into drones to enable them to slip into areas they would otherwise be unable to enter. The creations they have come up with include the “Quad-morphing” robot, the Foldable Drone, Transformable Multirotor, and DRAGON.