# ETH Zurich develops FlexiQuad flexible quadrotor that resists collisions and reaches a top speed of 80 km/h

- Source: Tech Xplore Robotics
- Published: 2026-11-03T14:20:01.000Z
- RoboHot: https://robohot.news/en/items/qbf3fbotq7041042zt4qbmyoj
- Original: https://techxplore.com/news/2026-11-flexible-drone-collisions-sacrificing-agility.html

## Summary

An ETH Zurich team has developed FlexiQuad, a ring-shaped flexible-frame quadrotor with no central body; on impact the frame deforms to absorb energy and the drone can keep flying. It reaches a top flight speed of 80 km/h, with collision tests at about 25 km/h; the frame material costs less than 15 Swiss francs, and it has been used to grasp and carry soft first-aid kits and payloads heavier than its own weight. The team also used reinforcement learning to let it stabilize its attitude after a collision before resuming autonomous flight, but reliable perception and autonomous navigation remain prerequisites for leaving the lab.