Autonomous And Sustained Perching On Smooth Surfaces

In this video the results are shown of the extended work on aerial perching, which was started in the work “Mechanism For Perching On Smooth Surfaces Using Aerial Impacts”.

The experiment in this video shows the capabilities of an automated and self-regulating perching drone. After the user gives the ‘go’ signal, the drone autonomously impacts the surface and slows down the rotors after successfully attaching. The drone measures the pressure in the vacuum-cup using a pressure-sensor. If the vacuum gets below a threshold level, meaning that the vacuum is about to become too low to remain perched, the drone reactivates and actively presses the vacuum-cup to regain the vacuum. A significant force is required to repress the vacuum-cup, which was done using the knowledge gained from the work “Application Of Substantial And Sustained Force To Vertical Surfaces Using A Quadrotor”.

Using the approach described above and the integrated sensing capabilities, the drone is capable of safely remaining airborne (mostly perched on a smooth surface) for 45 minutes(!) on a single battery and having the drone turned on only for about 3 minutes.