It’s a well-established and indeniable scientific proven fact that squirrels are probably the most fascinating animal within the recognized universe, and anybody that disagrees is improper. I imply, have you ever ever seen them chasing one another up timber and zooming between branches quicker than an IndyCar driver staring down the checkered flag? These high-wire antics could seem reckless, however squirrels are filled with surprises. They’ll (in idea, at the least) safely fall from any peak by stretching out and giving themselves a really massive size-to-mass ratio, which enormously reduces their terminal velocity.
Suffice it to say, when any squirrel-related tech information arises we clamor to cowl it right here at Hackster Information. The newest instance involves us from the Pohang College of Science and Expertise, the place a workforce of researchers is constructing a highly-maneuverable drone modeled after the habits of the flying squirrel. It incorporates foldable wings into its design that permit it to carry out tighter, extra responsive maneuvers than standard drones. Contemplating how agile the furry number of flying squirrel is within the air, that seems like a recipe for superb.
A better take a look at the {hardware} design (📷: D. Lee et al.)
All the system weighs simply 548 grams, with the foldable, silicone wings themselves including solely 24 grams. It’s powered by 4 high-speed motors, two servos for wing deployment, and is guided by an Arduino Portenta H7 with a dual-core STM32 microcontroller. Sensors embody twin IMUs, a barometer, and GNSS — all of which assist the drone keep oriented and on-course mid-flight.
What makes this drone so particular isn’t just the addition of wings, however how these wings are used. The workforce designed a Thrust-Wing Coordination Management (TWCC) framework to intelligently handle when and how one can deploy the foldable wings. You’ll be able to consider it because the drone’s built-in instinctual reflexes, like how an actual squirrel would instinctively modify its glide to keep away from an owl or make a daring leap. The TWCC algorithm coordinates the wing deployment with propeller thrust to develop the drone’s set of controllable actions, notably the pesky vertical ones which can be usually difficult for normal quadcopters.
An outline of the Thrust-Wing Coordination Management framework (📷: D. Lee et al.)
To precisely predict how air will behave across the wings in real-world flight, the workforce developed a physics-assisted recurrent neural community. This machine studying mannequin was educated on actual flight information to dynamically modify the angle of assault — that’s, how the wing slices by way of the air — based mostly on precise aerodynamic habits. By doing this, the drone could make smarter in-flight choices and higher anticipate how folding or unfolding its wings will have an effect on efficiency.
In outside exams involving dynamic trajectories and digital obstacles, the flying squirrel drone demonstrated a 13.1% enchancment in monitoring accuracy over standard drones.
By mixing a bio-inspired design with a cutting-edge management system and machine studying, the researchers have created a drone that does extra than simply fly — it adapts, reacts, and performs with a stage of agility that brings it one step nearer to what’s seen within the pure world. If the way forward for drones appears something just like the flying squirrel, then it might appear that we’re on the appropriate path.
