Rolling Drone: The transformer among the robots

 

“The M4 multifunctional robot masters almost all types of locomotion. As a result, it can handle even the most difficult terrain – autonomously.

There seem to be no obstacles for "M4", no matter how high or low they may be. The robot easily climbs stairs or walls by simply swinging into the air. The robot also manages to master uneven terrain with ease, rolling or crawling. Because M4, whose full name is Multi-Modal Mobility Morphobot, is a multifunctional robot that can use its four wheels in many ways.

To fly, it folds up the wheels and uses them as rotors. When it's time to run or crawl, the machine flattens out and uses its locked wheels to walk or crawl. So the robot can crawl under hurdles. And the multifunctional robot can even drive up a slope of up to 45 degrees, upright on its two rear wheels, without losing its balance.

In addition to drive motors and a battery, the M4 is equipped with an on-board computer for controlling the wheels or propellers and for data processing. Cameras and instruments for inertial measurement and communication are on board. The housing is made of carbon fibre. Many parts were made using 3D printing technology.

Video: caltech, Image: Eric Sihite et al., NatureCommunications

With robot's abilities, M4 can decide for himself how best to navigate through a complex environment. The researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena tested the capabilities of their robot, which weighed 5.6 kilograms and was 70 centimeters long, on an obstacle course, which it completed largely autonomously, as Alireza Ramezani and his colleagues report in "Nature Communications". Depending on the nature of the terrain, the robot chooses the type of locomotion that is most effective.

According to the researchers led by Ramezani, a robot with such a wide range of skills would have many applications. M4 could be deployed anywhere where it is dangerous for humans and terrain unsuitable for wheeled robots.”