Swiss researchers have developed an unusual Avocado robot designed to swing from tree canopies to collect data. Within its inconspicuous shell, there’s technology that enables the robot to navigate through the treetops autonomously.
Why not just use a drone? In the dense canopy of tropical rainforests, the greatest number of living organisms are active. Drones are not ideal as their rotor blades would get stuck n the foliage, and the varying thicknesses and textures of branches present a challenge to climbing robots. Avocado can autonomously move up and down on its own by utilizing a winch that is tucked away in the upper section of its housing, while two rotors enable it to gain momentum and maneuver around obstacles.
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The idea behind this area of research is to get robots out of the factories and use them outdoors for environmental research. That’s why we came up with the idea of trying to gain access from above,” said Steffen Kirchgeorg, a doctoral student at ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research.
