Swiss Researchers Build A Flying Robot That Can Right Itself When It Crashes

Just as man-hacks can repair their trajectories as they whiz towards Gordon Freeman’s head, these little robots from the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems can now pick themselves back up when they crash. This little feature solves a problem that has long been the bane of flying robotics hobbyists everywhere as they watched their AR Drones and other bots fling themselves to pieces against walls and plant life.

Designer Adam Klaptocz said that he took his designs from nature and the prototypes he built can shoot out little legs that helps the robot right itself and take off again when it suffers from a hit. These robots could also fly in the dark because they are able to withstand a few wrong moves.

The robot, called the AirBurr, has a low center of gravity and a set of powerful propellers than can send the robot soaring again. I especially love the last part of the video where the thing falls into a box and gets itself out like a spider that mated with a radioactive eggbeater.

via RoboticsTrends