Flying robots could monitor forest-fire effects

Such is the vision of engineers at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) who have developed small flying robots with insect-like precision and agility.

Dr Mirko Kovac and Jürg Markus Germann, from EPFL’s Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, designed the robots with an innovative perching mechanism that allows them to fly head-first into the object, such as a tree, without being destroyed and attach to almost any type of surface using sharp prongs. It then detaches on command.

The mechanism works by using two spring-loaded arms fitted with pins that dig into the surface, whether it is wood or concrete. The snapping of the arms creates a forward momentum, allowing for a soft deceleration of the glider, which in turn avoids mechanical damage.

Kovac said: ‘When they want to detach they have a small electric motor and gearbox where it can pull back the arms and be able to retake flight and snap with the same perching mechanism again.’