The researchers say: "While flying animals substantially reduce their kinetic energy at landing by wing flapping, specialized gliders, like flying squirrels and geckos, land on trees at high speeds and endure elevated forces utilizing their limbs or head.
"We took inspiration from flying geckos, which exhibit head-first crash-landing at speeds."
Perching with winged Unmanned Aerial Vehicles has often been solved by means of complex control or intricate appendages.
The team investigated a method that relies on passive wing morphing for crash-landing on trees and other types of vertical poles.
An upturned nose design means the robot can passively reorient from horizontal flight to vertical upon a head-on crash with a pole, followed by hugging with its wings to perch.
The team says: "Inspired by the adaptability of animals’ and bats’ limbs in gripping and holding onto trees, we design dual-purpose wings that enable both aerial gliding and perching on poles."
They were able to demonstrate "crash-perching" on tree trunks with an overall success rate of 73%
"The method opens up new possibilities for the use of aerial robots in applications such as inspection, maintenance, and biodiversity conservation," the team add.
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