A search robot "DALER" that can also travel on land using wings even though it is an airplane

An airplane with wings is a vehicle that can freely fly through the sky, but once it gets on land, it has the feature that freedom of movement drops. In order to overcome such a weak point, an airplane which increased the usability on both sides by adopting a technique that is inevitable beyond "DALER"is. DALER is an exploration robot which can be developed with the operation in the field of disaster etc. in mind.

A flying robot that can walk - YouTube


This isDALERThe aircraft of the exploring robot named. It has no body and tail of the fuselageAll wing aircraftIts name isDEployableAIr-LAndEXplorationRIt is named after taking the initials of obot (a storable Land Exploration Robot).


The feature of DALER is the structure of the wing tip. The wing end joined to the main body by the shaft can be rotated freely 360 degrees. In the following "flight mode", it plays a role of controlling the posture of the aircraft by delicately adjusting the angle.


In one 'land mode' it is possible to rotate the wing tip like a tire like a tire and move the aircraft back and forth. This makes it possible to move to destinations that are far away or away from the land and travel like a car and move after landing.


It is also possible to change the entire length of the wing. Although the wings are expanded to full size in the following images ......


With one operation, both wings shrank to "Muyuu". It is designed with the concept of "Adoptive Morphology" to adapt to various environments and expand the range of action.


In addition, the wing has shock-proof performance that absorbs shocks such as collision, and it seems to be able to cope with unexpected situations, such as shock at the time of landing and disaster site.


When traveling on the ground, rotate the wing tip and proceed. Since it is not circular like a tire, it is characterized by "Gihukon Battan" and the appearance of moving while shaking the aircraft.


It seems that the operation experiment is actually being carried out. If you throw it in the air by hand like this ... ...


I rotated the propeller as it was and flew the sky like a radio control airplane.


DALER then landed on the ground. Because it does not have landing gear and so on, it may be said that it looks like "landing" rather than landing.


Then, I went running while swinging the wing tip and shaking the fuselage. It is a place to wonder how the propeller used during flight is protected.


The Laboratory of Intelligent Systems (LIS) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, which is developing this DALER, said he wants to make use of DALER for exploration and rescue in the event of a disaster. First of all, it is expected that by searching for the disaster site in advance in DALER, checking the damage situation, judging the necessity of the search, and then sending the actual rescue team, it will be possible to expect a safe and efficient rescue I will.

From the fact that the actual flight and running could be confirmed, the next task of LIS is to develop a system that fully automates the sequence of takeoff, search and return. Will fully arrive at the day when fully automated technology develops and actually robots like DALER can be used for disaster relief?