Watch: Biomimetic Robo-Bird Takes Flight with a Leap

While autonomous flying robots hold promising potential, their usefulness is limited if they cannot navigate uneven terrain after landing. However, an experimental bio-inspired robot overcomes this limitation by mimicking the raven’s gait.

Named RAVEN (Robotic Avian-inspired Vehicle for Multiple Environments), the device was developed by Won Dong Shin and his team at Switzerland’s EPFL university. Although it resembles a flapping-wing robot, RAVEN flies using a combination of semi-fixed wings and a propeller.

Innovative Multi-Jointed Legs for Efficient Takeoffs

The robot’s standout feature is its multi-jointed legs, which allow it to move in various ways. Like a real raven, RAVEN can jump to assist its takeoff. Tests demonstrated that this jumping action makes the takeoff process significantly more energy-efficient than a traditional flight launch.

“Multifunctional robot legs expand the potential for deploying traditional fixed-wing aircraft in complex terrains through autonomous takeoffs and multimodal gaits,” the scientists note in their recently published paper in Nature.

Watch RAVEN in action as it walks, hops, jumps, and flies in the video below. While its legs aren’t as anatomically complex as those of a real raven, they replicate the articulated hips, ankles, and feet, enabling the robot to walk, hop over obstacles, and jump onto raised surfaces.

Much like a real raven, the robot can perform a jump-assisted takeoff to initiate flight. Tests revealed that this method significantly improves energy efficiency compared to taking off without a jump.

The researchers explain in their recently published study in Nature that “multifunctional robot legs expand the possibilities for deploying traditional fixed-wing aircraft in challenging terrains through autonomous takeoffs and multimodal movement.”

A video below showcases RAVEN’s capabilities, including walking, hopping, jumping, and flying.

Read Original Article: New Atlas

Read More: Scitke