  The demining of landmines using drones is challenging; air-releasable
payloads are typically non-intelligent (e.g., water balloons or explosives) and
deploying them at even low altitudes (~6 meter) is inherently inaccurate due to
complex deployment trajectories and constrained visual awareness by the drone
pilot. Soft robotics offers a unique approach for aerial demining, namely due
to the robust, low-cost, and lightweight designs of soft robots. Instead of
non-intelligent payloads, here, we propose the use of air-releasable soft
robots for demining. We developed a full system consisting of an unmanned
aerial vehicle retrofitted to a soft robot carrier including a custom-made
deployment mechanism, and an air-releasable, lightweight (296 g), untethered
soft hybrid robot with integrated electronics that incorporates a new type of a
vacuum-based flasher roller actuator system. We demonstrate a deployment cycle
in which the drone drops the soft robotic hybrid from an altitude of 4.5 m
meters and after which the robot approaches a dummy landmine. By deploying soft
robots at points of interest, we can transition soft robotic technologies from
the laboratory to real-world environments.
