Quadrocopter can change shape while flying

The University of Zurich has developed a quadrocopter that can move its four arms with rotors separately while flying. For example, the quadrocopter can narrow itself to move between passes.

The researchers at the University of Zurich use four configurations when changing the shape of their quadrotor. In addition to the standard X mode, there is the compact O setting. The four arms are folded in and the quadrocopter is a lot smaller. In H mode, the arms are folded back and forth and the drone is elongated. Then there is the T-morphology, with two arms forward and two spread.

By moving the arms separately while flying, obstacles can be avoided and the drone can reach places that are otherwise inaccessible. In addition, the change may result in a temporary aerodynamic design and thus an acceleration of the quadcopter. In addition, the arms can grab and release objects for transport purposes.

At the hinges of the arms are four servo motors that are independently controlled by a Qualcomm Snapdragon Flight controller with ARM quad-core and 2GB of RAM. Also, an Arduino Nano microcontroller is on board. The drone has two cameras, one facing forward and one facing down. In time, the drone must be able to adapt its shape autonomously to the circumstances. This is currently still done by the driver.

The researchers published their findings in a paper titled The foldable drone: a morphing quadrotor that can squeeze and fly.