China News Service, Beijing, September 22 (Reporter Sun Zifa) In a newly published engineering paper in the internationally renowned academic journal "Nature", researchers demonstrated a group of animal-inspired flying robots that can build 3D printed structures in flight .
This research suggests that future flying robots could support the construction of homes or critical infrastructure in remote or hard-to-reach locations.
Animal-inspired flying robots with built-in foam structures.
Photo courtesy of Vijay M. Pawar and Dr. Robert Stuart-Smith
According to the paper, ground robots have been developed for on-site construction because they are safer and more productive than human builders, but these robots are limited by the maximum height they can operate, and large systems need to be plugged in, reducing power consumption. mobility of such robots.
In contrast, natural "architects" such as wasps, termites and barn swallows are highly flexible, adapting to flight to aid in building their nests.
The research and development of the flying robot BuildDrone (building drones).
Photo courtesy of Vijay M. Pawar and Dr. Robert Stuart-Smith
Inspired by these natural "architects", corresponding author Mirko Kovac of Imperial College London, UK, and colleagues and collaborators have devised a new fabrication method using a fleet of untethered aerial robots, The swarms build their own 3D structures under human supervision.
They developed BuildDrone (build drones) to place materials and ScanDrone (scan drones) to assess structural quality.
The robots built proof-of-concept cylinders using foam and cement-like materials, measuring 2.05 meters and 0.18 meters high, respectively.
The structures were built to a high precision of 5mm, which is acceptable in UK building requirements.
Animal-inspired flying robots are 3D printed with cement-like materials.
Photo courtesy of Vijay M. Pawar and Dr. Robert Stuart-Smith
The authors of the paper believe that with further development, future aerial robots could help build structures in hard-to-reach areas, such as hazardous areas, extremely high altitudes, or remote areas at risk of natural disasters.
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