Tiny, agile drones have taken flight, marking a new era in robotics with their unprecedented speed and precision. Researchers at MIT have developed micro-aerial-robots that can hover for over 1,000 seconds, completing complex maneuvers like double aerial flips.
Tiny, Agile Drones Take Flight: A New Era in Micro-Aerial-Robots
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have made a groundbreaking breakthrough in the development of micro-aerial-robots (MARs), tiny drones that can fly faster and more precisely than ever before. The new design, which weighs less than a paperclip, has enabled the robots to hover for over 1,000 seconds, completing complex maneuvers like double aerial flips.
A New Generation of MARs
The previous generation of MARs was composed of four identical units, each with two wings, combined into a rectangular device. However, this design had limitations, including reduced lift forces and increased mechanical strain on the artificial muscles that flap the wings. The new design chops the robot in half, with each unit having one flapping wing pointing away from the center, stabilizing the wings and boosting their lift forces.
Improved Performance
The new MARs feature more complex transmissions that connect the wings to the actuators, or artificial muscles, that flap them. These durable transmissions reduce the mechanical strain on the robot, enabling faster maneuvers, increased endurance, and a longer lifespan. The motion of the robot’s wings is driven by artificial muscles made from layers of elastomer sandwiched between two very thin carbon nanotube electrodes.
A Step Towards Assisted Pollination
The researchers hope to install tiny batteries and sensors onto the aerial robots so they could fly and navigate outside the lab. This technology has the potential to revolutionize agriculture, enabling farmers to grow fruits and vegetables inside multilevel warehouses, boosting yields while mitigating some of agriculture’s harmful impacts on the environment.
Future Directions
Kevin Chen, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, says that the new robot platform is a major result from his group and leads to many exciting directions. The researchers aim to achieve flight for longer than 10,000 seconds, improve the precision of the robots so they could land and take off from the center of a flower, and explore the applications of assisted pollination.
A New Era in Robotics
The development of these tiny, agile drones marks a new era in robotics. With their improved performance, increased endurance, and longer lifespan, MARs have the potential to revolutionize various fields, including agriculture, healthcare, and environmental monitoring. As researchers continue to push the boundaries of what is possible with these tiny robots, we can expect to see exciting breakthroughs in the years to come.
