The RAVEN (Robotic Avian-inspired Vehicle for multiple ENvironments), an innovative flying robot developed at Switzerland’s EPFL university, takes inspiration from the versatile movement capabilities of ravens. While most autonomous flying robots face limitations when navigating uneven terrain after landing, RAVEN bridges this gap with its ability to both fly and walk.
Despite its avian appearance, RAVEN doesn’t rely on flapping wings for flight. Instead, it utilizes two semi-fixed wings in combination with a propeller, ensuring stable and efficient flight. However, its standout feature lies in its multi-jointed legs, which mimic the hips, ankles, and feet of a real raven. Although simplified compared to actual bird anatomy, these legs allow RAVEN to navigate uneven terrain by walking, hopping over small obstacles, or jumping onto elevated surfaces.
A particularly impressive aspect of RAVEN’s design is its ability to leap into flight. Tests demonstrated that jumping during takeoff significantly enhances energy efficiency compared to traditional takeoffs. This capability could prove valuable in deploying robotic aircraft in rugged or complex environments where energy conservation is critical.
The researchers behind RAVEN highlighted the broader potential of such designs in their paper published in Nature. “Multifunctional robot legs expand the opportunities to deploy traditional fixed-wing aircraft in complex terrains through autonomous take-offs and multimodal gaits,” they noted.
While still experimental, RAVEN’s design underscores a shift toward integrating aerial and terrestrial mobility in robotic systems, offering new possibilities for exploring challenging environments.
Watch the robot bird-plane walk, hop, jump, and take flight in the video below.
Source: Scimex
