Systems and methods for a soft-bodied aerial robot for collision resilience and contact-reactive perching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aerial robots face challenges in mitigating high-impact collisions during dynamic perching and navigating obstacle-laden environments with poor visual conditions, leading to structural damage and loss of control.
Innovation Solution
A soft-bodied aerial robot with a lightweight, pneumatically modulated frame and contact-reactive graspers that absorb impact energy and adapt stiffness for collision resilience, allowing for stable flight and safe perching on various surfaces without active actuation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid-body structures are used for aerial robots, then structural strength is improved, but collision impact mitigation capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a soft-bodied frame constructed from flexible materials that can deform during collision to absorb impact energy. The frame includes soft actuators and compliant structures that allow controlled deformation, transforming the rigid structure into a flexible system that mitigates collision forces while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes pneumatic actuators to dynamically adjust the stiffness and compliance of the frame structure. By changing the internal pressure of pneumatic elements, the robot can modulate its structural parameters to be more compliant during collision events, thereby reducing impact forces while maintaining sufficient strength for normal operation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If soft-bodied frame is used for collision resilience, then collision impact mitigation is improved, but flight stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements active control systems that dynamically adjust the compliance of the soft frame during different flight phases. During normal flight, the frame maintains a stiffer configuration for stability, while during approach and collision phases, it becomes more compliant for impact mitigation. This dynamic transition resolves the contradiction between stability and collision resilience.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates sensors that monitor the robot's state and collision conditions, feeding this information back to the control system. The control system then adjusts the pneumatic pressure in the frame structure in real-time, increasing compliance when collision is detected and maintaining stiffness during stable flight, thereby resolving the stability-collision resilience trade-off.
3Use of energy by moving object
If passive tendon locking mechanism is used for perching, then energy efficiency is improved, but control flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements passive tendon locking mechanisms that automatically engage during collision-based perching, allowing the robot to latch onto surfaces without active energy consumption. The tendon system uses the collision energy itself to trigger the locking mechanism, achieving self-service operation that is both energy-efficient and sufficiently flexible for autonomous perching tasks.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The aerial robot effectively mitigates collisions, maintains stability during perching, and autonomously adapts to different environments, ensuring structural integrity and efficient energy use.
Implementation Method 1
a pneumatic assembly operable for modulating an internal pressure of the frame balloon
Implementation Method 2
a lightweight soft-bodied frame that can vary in "stiffness" to reduce shock
Implementation Method 3
The frame can deform as needed during collision to protect other components of the aerial robot
Implementation Method 4
high-energy impacts or collisions can lead to structural damage or loss of control, resulting in crashes
Implementation Method 5
the grasper can include one or more bistable spring elements configurable between a first open state and a second closed state
Implementation Method 6
the pneumatic assembly being operable for inflating the grasper balloon to apply an external force along the bistable spring element
Data Source
AI summary
A fabric-based, soft-bodied aerial robot includes contact-reactive perching and embodied impact protection structures while remaining lightweight and streamlined. The aerial robot is operable to 1) pneumatically vary its body stiffness for collision resilience and 2) utilize a hybrid fabric-based, bistable (HFB) grasper to perform passive grasping. When compared to conventional rigid drone frames the soft-bodied aerial robot successfully demonstrates its ability to dissipate impact from head-on collisions and maintain flight stability without any structural damage. Furthermore, in dynamic perching scenarios the HFB grasper is capable to convert impact energy upon contact into firm grasp through rapid body shape conforming in less than 4 ms.