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Hummingbird robots can get to places where even UAVs can't go to participate in rescue activiti

  2019-05-22

introduce:Researchers at Purdue University have designed flying robots that resemble hummingbirds. These robots are trained by machine learning algorithms to learn the various techniques used by birds every day.This means that after learning through simulation, the

Researchers at Purdue University have designed flying robots that resemble hummingbirds. These robots are trained by machine learning algorithms to learn the various techniques used by birds every day.
This means that after learning through simulation, the robot can "know" how to move on its own like a hummingbird, such as when to make an escape.
(Source: Purdue University Video/Biorobotics Laboratory)
The combination of AI and flexible flapping wings also enables robots to learn new skills by themselves. Even if the robot can't see anything, it can feel it by touching the surface. Each touch changes the current, making researchers aware that they can track the current.
Xinyan Deng, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University, said: "Basically, robots can create maps without seeing their surroundings. This may help robots search for victims in dark places, and it also means that if we allow robots to see things, they can add one less sensor.
The team's researchers will present their work at the 2019 IEEE International Conference on Robots and Automation in Montreal on May 20.
Owing to the working principle of traditional aerodynamics, UAV can not be made into infinitesimal shape. Otherwise, they cannot generate enough lift to support their weight.
But hummingbirds do not use traditional aerodynamics, and their wings are flexible. Deng said, "It's a physical difference. Aerodynamics is inherently unstable, with high angles of attack and high lift. This makes the existence of small flying animals possible, and makes it possible to reduce the flapping-wing robots.
For years, researchers have been trying to decode hummingbird flights so that robots can fly where large aircraft cannot. In 2011, AeroVironment, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense * Research Projects Agency, built a hummingbird robot that is heavier than real hummingbirds, but not so fast, with helicopter-like flight control and limited maneuverability. It requires constant human remote control.
For years, Deng's team and her collaborators have been studying hummingbirds in Montana. They record the key movements of hummingbirds, such as fast rotation of 180 degrees, and convert them into computer algorithms so that robots can learn in simulation.
Further research into insect and Hummingbird physics has enabled Purdue University researchers to build robots smaller than hummingbirds - even as small as insects, without affecting the way they fly. Deng said that the smaller the size, the more frequent the wings beat and the higher the flight efficiency.
The hummingbird robot can fly by itself while connecting energy sources, but will soon be powered by batteries. Photo Source: Purdue University Video/Biorobotics Laboratory)
The body and wings of the hummingbird robot are printed in 3D and made of carbon fiber and laser cutting film. Researchers have built a 12-gram hummingbird robot, which is usually the weight of an adult hummingbird, and can lift objects that weigh more than 27 grams. In addition, researchers have created a robot that weighs up to a gram of insects.
To design robots with higher lift, researchers need to provide more swing space, plus batteries and sensing technologies, such as cameras or GPS. Currently, robots need to be connected to an energy source while flying, but that won't last long, say researchers.
Robots can fly quietly like real hummingbirds, making them more suitable for secret operations. By testing the dynamically scaled wings in the tank, the researchers demonstrated that they also remained stable in turbulence.
This hummingbird robot only needs two motors, and each motor can control each wing independently. This is the principle of flying animals operating highly agile in nature.
"Real hummingbirds have multiple muscles to fly and turn, but the weight of the robot should be as light as possible, so that the robot can have * large performance with * small weight," said Deng.
Hummingbird robots can not only help search and rescue missions, but also enable biologists to better study hummingbirds in the natural environment through realistic robotic senses.
"We've learned from biology how to create this robot, and now, with the additional help of robots, we can get more biological discoveries," said Deng.
The simulation of this technology has been open source on https://github.com/purdue-biorobotics/flappy. If you are interested, you can click to see it.
_The early work of the hummingbird robot, including the Montana hummingbird experiment with a team from the University of Montana, Brett Tobalsk, was funded by the National Science Foundation.

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