Event

ETH Zurich develops FlexiQuad drone with flexible ring frame

1 reports · 1 sources

The Environmental Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich proposed and tested FlexiQuad: a quadrotor with no central body that uses a flexible ring frame. On impact the frame deforms to absorb energy, and the drone can still continue flying. The team says the aircraft reaches a maximum 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 already been used to grasp and carry soft first-aid kits and payloads exceeding its own weight. The team also trained it with reinforcement learning: after a collision it first uses onboard motion sensors to stabilize its attitude, then resumes autonomous flight. But the report notes that before leaving the lab, it still needs the ability to reliably perceive its environment and navigate autonomously.