It’s getting harder to tell the difference between birds and drones.
Swiss researchers at EPFL just introduced RAVEN, an experimental drone designed to walk, hop, jump into flight, and fly like a real bird. RAVEN stands for Robotic Avian-inspired Vehicle for multiple ENvironments.
The team from EPFL’s Laboratory of Intelligent Systems (LIS) calls RAVEN a game changer for autonomous aerial technology. Its birdlike legs feature springs and motors to mimic the muscles and tensons of its avian counterparts. The legs allow RAVEN to navigate environments that would be difficult for traditional drones to handle.
Weighing just 0.62 kg (1.37 lbs), RAVEN is weighs about the same as a crow but less than a raven. The lightweight design helps RAVEN maintain delicate balance for its unique movements.
They researchers also found that jumping into flight is the most energy efficient way to take off. The initial boost for a drone to take off typically consumes the most energy compared to other phases of flight. This is because the drone must generate enough thrust to defy gravity with zero momentum.
“Birds were the inspiration for airplanes in the first place, and the Wright brothers made this dream come true,” LIS PhD student Wong Dong Shin said in a news release. “Birds can transition from walking to running and back again, without the aid of a runway or launcher. Engineering platforms for these kinds of movements are still missing in robotics.”
Possible real-world use cases for drones like RAVEN include industrial inspections, disaster response, and deliveries in tight urban environments.
Researchers plan to improve RAVEN’s landing capabilities and enhance its leg control systems. The team detailed its findings in its paper, “Fast ground-to-air transition with avian-inspired multifunctional legs,” published in Nature.