Earthbound Robots Today Need to Take Flight

Neil Tardella for IEEE Spectrum:  The DARPA Robotics Challenge this past summer showcased how far humanoid robots have come—but also how far they have yet to go before they can tackle real-world practical applications. Even the best of the DRC behemoths stumbled and fell down, proving, as IEEE Spectrum noted at the time, that “not walking is a big advantage.”

There is, in fact, a new not-walking way for robots to perform many kinds of tasks better and faster: the dexterous drone.

A lightweight flying platform with a robotic arm combines the strengths of two rapidly developing, parallel industries. Aerial drones like quadcopters and octocopters have in just the past few years emerged as a viable industrial and consumer product with substantial maneuverability, versatility, and durability. Yet the drones of today are mostly just flying bodies with no arms or hands.  Cont'd...

Comments (0)

This post does not have any comments. Be the first to leave a comment below.


Post A Comment

You must be logged in before you can post a comment. Login now.

Featured Product

Stäubli robotic tool changer solutions

Stäubli robotic tool changer solutions

Stäubli is a pioneer in the construction and development of robotic tool changing systems. Our customers benefit from our many years of expertise in all industry sectors, as well as our modular product concept, which offers three efficient solution paths: MPS COMPLETE offers preconfigured robotic tool changers for immediate use. MPS MODULAR allows the user to determine the configuration, while MPS CUSTOMIZED allows the construction of special, application-specific systems.