UC Berkeley's Robotic Cockroach Helps Launch Robot Bird
Posted on May 27, 2015
UC Berkeley has two of its tiny robots working together. The VelociRoACH is a six-legged robot inspired by a cockroach. It can carry UC Berekely's small bird bot, the H2Bird ornithopter micro aerial vehicle, on its back to help give it a boost at take off. The ornithopter weighs 13.2 grams while the VelociRoACH weighs 32 grams.
IEEE Spectrum notes that developing a singular robot that can bot walk and fly can be complex. This robotic pairing gets the H2Bird in flight without having to build an H2Bird robot that is more complex.
A research paper on the coordinated robot launch can be found here (PDF file). It explains how the scientists determined the initial velocity and pitch angle for take off using data collected in a wind tunnel.
The researchers say, "We intend to further experiment with these cooperative behaviors to determine if we can actively predict ideal conditions for launch. This information will enable the VelociRoACH to autonomously command the H2Bird to launch with no human intervention. The reductions in cost of transport through the use of cooperative robotics can also allow for increased utility of millirobotic platforms."
Here is a video of the VeolciRoACH and H2Bird in action: