Researchers from Singapore University of Technology and Design are experimenting with a new type of drone that initially looks like a boomerang, but can also break into five separate drones.
The concept is being tested using lightweight sensor payloads for possible use in disaster-struck areas by aerial deployment. The drone splits into five samara-type drones that could then be sent to different areas hit by a natural disaster. In nature, samaras, otherwise known as whirlybirds, are tiny seed pods with a wing-like shape.
The samara autorotating wing (SAW) platform forms a collective rotor hub for controllability and then detaches into singular units during flight using a decentralized separation mechanism. The researchers tested the drone in different models for singular state and collaboration rotor hub state. Tests of increased motion-capture region and free-flight drop as well as separation flights were carried out to verify the simulations.
The final test used a multi-rotor as an aerial launch platform and the single-winged state was evaluated in real-world conditions, researchers said.
In the video, the boomerang type drone is shown within an open structure, falling and then splitting into five samara-type drones and scattering to different locations inside the structure. Following the split, the drone can fly off to different parts of the complex and reach more areas than just one single drone alone.
A more finished version of the prototype drone could potentially offer relief following a disaster or other emergency event, dispatching its many parts to multiple locations quickly.
For the complete research, check out the journal IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters.
