Manned drones are nice for getting around the city, but sometimes, you just need something smaller. Meet the Hopcopter. This bizarre pogo stick drone created by a team of scientists from City University of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology boasts an elastomer-band-loaded rubber-tipped leg that also allows it to hop around.
When flying as a regular multi-rotor drone, Hopcopter is capable of accelerating downward and then spring-loading the leg upon impact with the ground. It can then leap vertically and horizontally to conserve energy. Switching directions is as easy as flying leg-first in to a sloping or vertical surface.
- ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ - The drone is lightweight and compact, weighing...
- ๐ก๐ผ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ - Under 249 g, FAA Registration and Remote ID are not required if...
- ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ง๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ - Enjoy longer flights with DJI Mini 2 SE, which offers a 31-min max flight...
By harnessing multimodal locomotion, the robot is capable of intermittent midflight jumps that result in substantial instantaneous accelerations and rapid changes in flight direction, offering enhanced agility and versatility in complex environments. The passive leg design holds potential for direct integration with conventional rotorcraft, unlocking seamless hybrid hopping and flying locomotion” said the researchers.
