Canadian scientists invented a drone that can land on a wall
The Multimodal Autonomous Drone (S-MAD) was created by researchers at Canada’s University of Sherbrooke which is able to take off and land on any vertical and horizontal surfaces, reports TechCrunch.
The researches were inspired by birds that can perch on cliffs and building walls, using any rough surfaces and cracks for gripping.
The device is a fixed-wing drone that can take off and fly at high speeds (from 7 to 9 meters per second). Laser-based sensors detect a wall, compute the distance, the drone changes its configuration to put itself in a parallel state to the wall, slows down and lands flat with its steel spikes.
The drone can remain perched against a wide array of surfaces, like bricks, concrete, stucco, some natural materials. Due to weak grip, the drone is unable to carry any payload besides its own weight. When the device is ready to move on, it releases its spikes and flies off.
It is expected that such option will be useful for surveillance, when it is not required to fly around in circles. The device can take rest and charge its battery this way.
surfaces, like bricks, concrete, stucco, some natural
materials. Due to weak grip, the drone is unable to carry any
payload besides its own weight. When the device is ready to
move on, it releases its spikes and flies off.
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