Pentagon tests helicopter with robotic legs

The Pentagon’s research unit is funding the development of robotic legs for helicopters.

Darpa, the organisation handling the project has released footage showing a test version of the landing gear attached to a remote-controlled aircraft.

It hopes the machinery will one day be capable of allowing manned flights to land on uneven rubble-strewn terrain and moving surfaces.

Work continues on the project at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

It’s thought that it would be a solution for landing in choppy seas and uneven terrain: adaptive robotic landing gear, shaped like giant steel grasshopper legs. The system employs sensors to figure out the best angle to approach a landing site, so the legs adjust themselves accordingly.

In a test video Darpa showed the legs attached to an otherwise standard RC chopper as it touched down with two feet on an elevated piece of wood and two feet firmly on the grass — which is notable because it resembles the type of uneven terrain current landing gear is incapable of dealing with.

Read also: Tech takes example from nature

Roboticists have long looked to insects for inspiration. Scientists have modeled miniature search-and-rescue robots after the cockroach, taking advantage of the insect’s exoskeletal shell to bump up its agility and help it slide through small spaces. It’s also been a valuable pastime for researchers to film insects with high-speed cameras, resulting in such nightmare fuel as a water strider-inspired jumping robot that can leap 5.5 inches off a liquid surface without creating a splash.

After all, the course of nature has resulted in tiny critters capable of astounding feats when it comes to flight, carrying weight, and moving around with more than two legs.

– theverge.com

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