Caltech engineers have successfully created a real “transformer”-a lot of robotics development for air and terrestrial operations. Named ATMO (short for the morphobot transforming the airport)The robot can go from a flying drone to a rolling rover when he is still in the air. This innovative project offers a solution to a long -term challenge, which is faced with hybrid robots: getting stuck in difficult terrain when trying to transform after landing.
The unique ATMO ability to smoothly switch modes – without stopping or requirements of a perfectly flat landing surface – significantly increases its agility and reliability. This ability can be invaluable in a wide range of applications, from autonomous commercial supplies to robotic exploration in unpredictable or dangerous environments.
The clever robot mechanism includes four airlines, whose double protective covers as ground mobility wheels. The entire transformation is managed by a single central engine, which precisely adjusts the connector, moving the propellers up in drone mode or down in drive mode.
According to Ioannis Mandralis, aviation graduates in Caltech and the main author of research, the robot design is inspired by nature, imitating how animals adapt their bodies to different types of movement. This transformation in the air unlocks significant possibilities of better autonomy and resistance in robots.
However, making such a passage in the air is complex aerodynamic challenges. Forces near the earth, combined with the constantly changing shape of the robot, create significant turbulence and instability. Overcoming this dynamics has been a permanent fight for the aviation industry for decades.
To meet these challenges, the Caltech team conducted extensive tests, including experiments from load cells and visualization of smoke at the Caltech's Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies (CAST). In the observations, they gained a development of the sophisticated ATMO control system, which uses the advanced method known as the predictive model of the model. This system constantly provides for the future behavior of the robot, enabling it to quickly adapt his activities and maintain stability during transformation. Mandralis emphasizes that this control algorithm represents the most important innovation of the project, dealing with a dynamic system previously unexplored in this context.
The research is detailed in the article “ATMO: Morphobot transforming the airport to a dynamic transition to the area“.
This breakthrough allows Atho to perform stable “dynamic wheels”, and its wheels in position to start rolling immediately. By solving a transitional challenge, ATMO opens a new door for versatile robotic systems that can adapt to dynamic environments without human intervention. Potential use of use includes the supply of the last mile in urban areas, exploration of catastrophe zones and extraterrestrial missions on rough planetary surfaces.
Projects such as ATMO, along with advanced QDATA solutions, emphasize the key trend in the development of modern robotics: creating integrated, multi -functional systems that smoothly adapt to each environment and tasks. This approach significantly increases the possibilities of automation and increases efficiency in many industries.
