Innovation in robotics frequently takes its cues from the variety of ways wildlife moves about. The Hopcopter is a ground-breaking hybrid robot designed to fly and hop quickly. It embodies this idea.
Unlike traditional hopping robot paradigms, the Hopcopter’s design is centered around a unique integration of quadcopter technology with a telescoping leg mechanism. Moreover, the Hopcopter improves efficiency and agility by using its current rotors for propulsion throughout flight.
The City University of Hong Kong research team presents each component of the Hopcopter’s functionality and design in an article published in Science Robotics journal. A telescopic leg with a sliding rod for the bottom portion and a stiff top section enhanced by rubber bands stretched beforehand for elastic recoil is essential to its functioning.
The Hopcopter breaks previous records for robotic platform agility with its incredible vertical hopping speed, made possible by its specially designed legs. Reflecting markers and actuation devices also ensure stable dynamics and precise trajectory monitoring during the hopping and flying phases.
The Hopcopter’s hybrid mobility is very versatile, as demonstrated by its capacity to change direction and speed quickly, reducing the chance of collision through quick leaping movements. Advanced attitude control algorithms provide autonomous hopping control, guaranteeing stable dynamics without requiring external position feedback.
Unlike conventional rotorcraft and legged robots, the Hopcopter’s passive leg design provides energy-efficient movement, enhancing mission duration and range. This capability is extremely promising for applications that need to operate for extended periods in various situations, such as exploration projects or surveillance missions.
The Hopcopter is poised to revolutionize the robotics industry by integrating the capabilities of flying and hopping. Its astonishing capacity to operate over a range of terrains with ease and efficiency is a testament to field research and engineering.
