Forceful manipulation with micro air vehicles

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Bio-inspired Engineering
• Micro-mechanics

Background:

• Micro air vehicles (MAVs) have expanding applications but are limited by thrust.
• Environmental interaction and object manipulation are key challenges for MAVs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce FlyCroTugs, a novel class of MAVs with enhanced object manipulation capabilities.
• To enable MAVs to exert significant pulling forces beyond their own weight.

Main Methods:

• Inspired by wasp prey transport, FlyCroTugs utilize controllable adhesion or microspines for surface anchoring.
• A winch mechanism is integrated for forceful tugging of heavy objects.
• The system combines flight, adhesion, and winching for multimodal operation.

Main Results:

• FlyCroTugs can exert pulling forces up to 40 times their own mass.
• Demonstrated successful lifting of a sensor into a partially collapsed building.
• Two FlyCroTugs collaborated to open a heavy door by rotating a lever handle.

Conclusions:

• FlyCroTugs represent a new class of multimodal MAVs capable of powerful tugging.
• This technology enhances MAVs' ability to operate and perform tasks in human-scale environments.
• The energetics and scalability of this approach are promising for future MAV development.