Insect-Inspired Mechanical Resilience for Multicopters
Submitted by tatwood on Sat, 03/11/2017 - 23:12
![](https://the-nref.org/sites/default/files/styles/620px_wide/public/Flexible.jpg?itok=wnqSpmJH)
![](https://the-nref.org/sites/default/files/styles/620px_wide/public/600pxl2.jpg?itok=uvh-uYbC)
![](https://the-nref.org/sites/default/files/styles/620px_wide/public/600pxl.jpg?itok=pNPz9pbt)
Watch this drone fall apart on impact to safely dissipate energy -- and then instantly snap back together. The “reassembly” occurs owing to rubber bands that hold the frame firmly together via tension forces exerted on key structural hard points.
Sources: S. Mintchev, S.D. De Rivas and D. Floreano. Insect-Inspired Mechanical Resilience for Multicopters, In IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2017.