Enabling multirotor UAVs to perch, land and detach with standard propeller guards

The widespread adoption of multirotor uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) is hindered by limited flight time and degraded stability to wind disturbances. Perching, inspired by birds, offers a solution by saving energy and maintaining stability. However, current perching methods often rely on heavy mechanisms, have limitations on surface materials, and obstruct vision sensors. In this study, we propose a process to enable multirotors to perch, land, and detach, all with standard propeller guards. This approach eliminates additional mechanisms, avoids sensor interference, and significantly reduces energy consumption by leveraging the ceiling effect. In over 150 perching and detaching tests with various surface orientations and materials, the approach achieved a 100% success rate and saved 25% - 100% energy consumption compared to hovering. It also improved positioning accuracy by 50 times under strong winds by ensuring stable environmental contact. We demonstrated in real-world environments, showcasing the autonomous perching and detaching ability using only onboard sensing and computation.