After being inspired by birds, bats, insects and even flying snakes, researchers from 14 research teams have come up with new designs of next generation drones and flying robots. These robots would have the potential to perform multiple tasks from military surveillance to search and rescue.

Some designs of robots look similar to that of bird-like grasping appendages, a robo-swarm or flock. Prof. David Lentink, from Stanford University in California, said that the development of this nature inspiring robots is a step ahead in pushing the drone technology forward.

Till now, no drone has been developed that can avoid wind turbine or can fly in urban environments with large obstacles in navigation. But, the latest study published in the journal Bioinspiration and Biomimetics demonstrate ways to overcome such challenges.

By understanding the ways how tiny insects stabilize themselves in turbulent air, researchers have designed many future drones. One of the researchers from the University of Maryland engineered sensors for their experimental drone based on insects eyes to mimic amazing capability of flight in clutter.

These eyes will act as cameras to record actual position of the drone which will be further monitored by engineers connected to an on-board computer. Another raptor-like appendage for a drone has been designed by some of researchers that can grasp objects at high speeds by swooping in like a bird of prey.

Also, a team of researchers led by Prof. Kenny Breuer, at Brown University, has designed an eerily accurate robotic copy of a bat wing with high range of movement, tolerance and flexibility. Prof. Lentink added that membrane based bat wings have better adaptability to airflow and are unbreakable.

Dr. Mirko Kovac, director of the aerial robotics laboratory at Imperial College, London, and his team is working hard to develop robots that can perch on trees and other objects. Their aim is to develop drones with mobile networks of sensors.

The above story is based on materials by News Tonight Africa. 

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