The world of robotics is developing at a tremendous pace. We have biped robots that walk like humans do, fish robots that can swim underwater, and now we have a gliding robot that can travel large distances.
This unique and innovative robot that the engineers at the University of Washington have developed, is, in fact, a technical solution for collecting environmental data. Additionally, it is helpful in conducting atmospheric surveys as well. The astonishing part of this lightweight robotic device is that it is capable of gliding in midair without batteries.
The gliding robots cannot fly up by themselves. They ride on drones that carry them high up in the air. The drones then release them about 130 ft above the ground and they glide downwards. The design of these gliding robots is inspired by Origami, the Japanese art of folding paper to make various designs.
The highly efficient design of these gliding robots or micro-fliers as their designers call them can change shape when they are floating above the ground. As these robots or micro-fliers weigh only 400 milligrams, they are only about half the weight of a small nail.
According to their designers, the micro-fliers are very useful for environmental monitoring, as it is possible to deploy them in large numbers as wireless sensor networks monitoring the surrounding area.
To these micro-fliers, engineers have added an actuator that can operate without batteries and a controller that can initiate the alterations in its shape. They have also added a system for harvesting solar power.
When dropped from drones, the solar-powered micro-fliers change their shape dynamically as they glide down, spreading themselves as a leaf as they descend. The electromagnetic actuators built into these robots control their shape, changing them from a flat surface to a creased one.
According to their designers, using an origami shape allows the micro-fliers to change their shape, thereby opening up a new space for the design. Inspired by the geometric pattern in leaves, they have combined the Miura-ori fold of origami, with power-harvesting and miniature actuators. This has allowed the designers to make the micro-fliers mimic the flight of a leaf in midair.
As it starts to glide down, the micro-flier is in its unfolded flat state. It tumbles about like an elm leaf, moving chaotically in the wind. As it catches the sun’s rays, its actuators fold the robot, changing its airflow and allowing it to follow a more stable descent path, just like a maple leaf does. The design is highly energy efficient, there is no need for a battery, and the energy from the sun is enough.
Being lightweight, the micro-flier can travel large distances under light breeze conditions, covering distances about the size of a football field. The team showcased the functioning of the newly developed micro-flier prototypes by releasing them from drones at an altitude of about 40 meters above the ground.
During the testing, the released micro-fliers traveled nearly 98 meters after they changed their shapes dynamically. Moreover, they could successfully transmit data to Bluetooth devices that were about 60 meters away.
