Wall mounted airplane, jumping glider and quadrocopter on the ceiling



    At the bionics laboratory at Stanford University, they are engaged in the creation of unusual aircraft. The first of them is an unmanned aircraft with the unique ability to land on vertical surfaces and take off from them. Instead of the chassis, it has thin springy “paws” with sharp claws that allow it to catch on any rough surface.

    Primitive in appearance, these clawed legs are the product of lengthy experiments and computer simulations. Their length and elasticity are carefully selected for a perfect fit. Each claw works independently of the others, which allows the foot to cling much more reliably.

    But the main role in the ability to sit on the wall is played by the on-board computer. For a successful landing, you must perform a very accurate maneuver. A split second sooner or later - and the plane crashes, failing to cling to the wall.

    The plane also takes off from the wall. After relaxing its claws, for the first few seconds it is held in the air due to the propeller thrust, and at the same time it picks up speed, flying upside down from the wall. Then it flips to its normal position.



    Another aircraft capable of clinging like a fly to a wall and even to the ceiling is a quadrocopter, sticking to surfaces due to the forces of Van der Waals. Its "dry Velcro" works on the same principle as the gecko foot. It does not contain any suction cups or glue, but sticks to any, both smooth and rough surface, only due to the mechanical structure of the paws. They contain billions of microscopic villi with a thickness of only a few hundred nanometers. These villi increase the adhesion area of ​​the paw to the surface by many orders of magnitude, so that the inter-molecular forces of Van der Waals arising at very short distances become able to hold significant weight. In addition, they can be very finely and quickly controlled - the gecko's foot is capable of sticking and sticking to the surface up to 15 times per second.



    The Stanford Bionics Laboratory has been developing the Stickybot robot , designed in the image of a gecko, for several years now . The experience gained in creating his paws is now transferred to the aircraft. Airplanes and quadrocopters, capable of landing not only on horizontal platforms, but also on the walls of houses, trees, rocks, can be widely used in reconnaissance vehicles, during rescue operations in places of natural disasters, for observing nature. If you place photocells on the wings of an airplane, it will be able to work autonomously for a long time even without a safe, level ground for takeoff and landing, “resting” on trees and stones.

    The ability to perform fast and accurate maneuvers required for take-offs and landings on walls and ceilings can be useful for maneuvering in cramped conditions, and for creating devices that use planning in conjunction with other methods of moving in space. So, another project of the same laboratory is a jumping glider. Flying squirrels and flying fish became its prototypes in wildlife. They are not capable of a long flight, but due to their aerodynamics they can make long jumps. This way of moving is more effective than regular jumps or running, allows you to overcome very large obstacles and ensures a soft landing when jumping from any height.



    The experimental apparatus makes a jump due to the spring, and at the top point it brings the wings to working position, descending a long gentle trajectory. Although due to the additional aerodynamic drag of the wings, the height of the trajectory is slightly lower than that of a control vehicle with the same mass and energy of a jump, the overcome length is about one and a half times greater. You can download a PDF with an article detailing experiments with a jumping glider here .


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