This letter proposes a novel bio-inspired wing design to improve some characteristics of Flapping Wing Unmanned Vehicles (FWUV) related to their potential applications such as payload capability, maneuverability, low injury risk, and energy improvement. The suggested solution takes advantage of a broadly based avian research, focusing on the integration of advanced bird-like features ranging from bird-like high-compliant airfoil to active morphing strategies to mimic the ways birds naturally manage flights. The proposed conceptual design is supported by Unsteady Vortex Latex Method simulations provided by a novel flapping-oriented open-source solver. Prototype validation relies on both test-bench and real-flights results. A motion capture system is used to validate the wing aero-elastic characteristics. The resulted improvements are highlighted by a comprehensive comparison with different similar-size prototypes.

Taking inspiration from nature, the work presented in this paper aims to develop bio-inspired claws to be used for grasping and perching in flapping-wing aerial systems. These claws can be 3D printed out of two different materials and will be capable of adapt to any shape. Also, they will be soft for avoiding undesired damages on the objects when performing manipulation. These claws will be actuated by shape memory alloys (SMA) springs to get rid of the weight of traditional servos. The design of all the components will be explained in this work. Also, the challenges of being able to control SMA using only a LiPo battery on an aerial vehicle will be exposed. The solutions applied and electronics used will be also described. Lastly, experiments made both in test bench as on flight will be summarized.

The aim of this work is to present the development of a bio-inspired approach for a robotic tail using Macro Fiber Composites (MFC) as actuators. The use of this technology will allow achieving closer to the nature approach of the tail, aiming to mimic a bird tail behavior. The tail will change its shape, performing morphing, providing a new type of actuation methodology in flapping control systems. The work is intended as a first step for demonstrating the potential of these technologies for being applied in other parts of the aerials robotics systems. When compared with traditional actuation approaches, one key advantage that is given by the use of MFC is their ability to adapt to different flight conditions via geometric tailoring, imitating what birds do in nature. Theoretical explanations, design, and experimental validation of the developed concept using different methodologies will be presented in this paper.

The increasing usage of multi-rotor aerial platforms and the reliability of flights enabled researchers to add equipment and devices to them for application. The addition of lightweight manipulators, grippers, and mechanisms to fulfill specific tasks has been reported frequently recently. This work pushes the idea one step ahead and uses an Artificial Human Hand (AHH) in an uncrewed aerial vehicle for aerial manipulation, device delivery, and co-operation with human workers. This application requires an effective end-effector capable of grasping and holding objects of different shapes. The AHH is a lightweight custom-made human-inspired design actuated using Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) materials. The SMA actuators offer significantly high forces with respect to their light weights though the control of these new actuators is a challenge that has been successfully demonstrated in this paper. The control of the SMA actuators could be achieved via heat exchange on the actuator, indirectly carried out by changing the current. The benefit of using this new actuator is removing the motors and mechanical mechanisms and simplifying the design. A soft cover is developed for the AHH to add friction and make it closer to a human hand. The modeling of the structured actuators on the system through tendons is presented, and a series of experiments for handling and manipulating different objects have been conducted. The objects were chosen with different weights and shapes to show the effectiveness of the design. An analysis of a generated torque of the manipulator for different cylindrical objects has been carried out. An analysis and comparison for grasping a series of items, pressure and temperature analysis, and the weight-to-volume ratio have been presented.

This work studies the accuracy of a simple but effective analytical model for a flapping-wings UAV in longitudinal gliding flight configuration comparing it with experimental results of a real ornithopter. The aerodynamic forces are modeled following the linearized potential theory for a flat plate in gliding configuration, extended to flappingwing episodes modeled also by the (now unsteady) linear potential theory, which are studied numerically. In the gliding configuration, the model reaches a steady-state descent at given terminal velocity and pitching and gliding angles, governed by the wings and tail position. In the flapping-wing configuration, it is noticed that the vehicle can increase its flight velocity and perform climbing episodes. A realistic simulation tool based on Unreal Engine 4 was developed to visualize the effect of the tail position and flapping frequencies and amplitudes on the ornithopter flight in real time. The paper also includes the experimental validation of the gliding flight and the data has been released for the community.

Logistics and service operations involving parcel preparation, delivery, and unpacking from a supply point to a user’s home could be carried out completely by robots in the near future, taking advantage of the capabilities of the different robot morphologies for the logistics, outdoor, and domestic environments. The use of robots for parcel delivery can contribute to the goals of sustainability and reduced emissions by exploiting their different locomotion modalities (wheeled, legged, and aerial). This article reports the development and results obtained from the first robotics hackathon celebrated as part of the European Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Network involving eight robotic platforms in three domains: 1) an industrial robotic arm for parcel preparation at the supply point, 2) a Centauro robot, a dual-arm aerial manipulator, and a wheeled-legged quadruped for parcel transportation, and 3) two humanoid robots and two commercial mobile manipulators for parcel delivery and unpacking in domestic scenarios. The article describes the joint operation and the evaluation scenario, the features and capabilities of the robots, particularly those involved in the realization of the tasks, and the lessons learned.