Bat-Like Drone Can Walk And Fly
A Swiss team has developed a drone that can walk and fly using transformable, multi-function wings that were patterned after those in vampire bats.
These days drones, the high-tech flying robots, are pretty much everywhere.
Now a Swiss-led research team may have developed drones that can both fly and walk.
Officially named the Deployable Air-Land Exploration Robot, its design is based on the bodies and movements of vampire bats.
Like the flying mammals, the drone has a soft skin covering a skeletal form and wings to help propel it forward.
Two distinct features are integral in the device’s ability to walk and fly, activities which require vastly different mechanical needs.
Retractable wings allow it to fly with a wide wingspan but can be retracted so it can walk with a narrow profile.
Engineers have also attached a triangular piece on each wing tip known as wingerons. They rotate to help maneuver in the air and become the walking “legs” while on the ground.
The purpose the project is to aid rescue operations that may require flying to and investigating possibly dangerous terrain.