How ornithopters can perch autonomously on a branch.

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Bio-inspired Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering

Background:

• Flapping-wing robots (ornithopters) offer quiet, efficient flight but lack landing capabilities.
• Autonomous perching is crucial for extending the operational scope of aerial robots.
• Current flapping-wing vehicles cannot autonomously stop their flight or perch.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel process for the autonomous landing and perching of an ornithopter on a branch.
• To enable flapping-wing robots to achieve a critical capability demonstrated by birds.

Main Methods:

• Integration of a pitch-yaw-altitude flapping flight controller.
• Utilization of an optical close-range correction system for precise landing.
• Development of a bistable claw appendage for rapid grasping (25 ms) and release.

Main Results:

• Successful autonomous perching of a 700g flapping-wing robot on a branch.
• Replication of the perching success with a second robot.
• Demonstration of the first autonomous perching flight for a flapping-wing robot.

Conclusions:

• This breakthrough enables flapping-wing robots to land autonomously, mimicking avian capabilities.
• The developed technology paves the way for long-range missions, bird observation, and manipulation tasks.
• Autonomous perching significantly broadens the application potential of ornithopters in outdoor environments.