DARPA tests robotic landing gear for helicopters

The robotic landing gear negotiating an obstacle landing while keeping the craft level

Helicopters are versatile machines, all kinds of maneuvers in the air, but when it comes to takeoffs and landings it comes very picky creatures, rather flat, level surfaces that are scarce in combat and rescue operations. DARPA recently demonstrated a new robot chassis system in an unmanned flight near Atlanta, Georgia, which was designed to these limitations, overcome by landings on broken or uneven terrain with a high degree of security.

The robotic landing gear in a tilt test The Robot chassis consists of four liegs the robot chassis hinge flaps in flight, the robots chassis can allow helicopters to land on ships in rough seas
Despite decades of development, the majority of helicopter leave slip in a very simple or wheeled undercarriage, which is not out of place on a Wright Flyer. During takeoff and landing, helicopters have fairly level to avoid tipping their rotors that could collide with the ground suddenly or a threat to the passengers to remain on board. The result is that many times helicopters are forced to precariously hovering a few feet above a hillside or broken field while being loaded and unloaded. It is an unsatisfactory solution and a reason why helicopter pilots tend to retire young.

The new robot chassis is in development from the Georgia Institute of Technology is currently financing through Mission Adaptive Rotor (MAR) program DARPA. His last flight was checked at the Agency wait what revealed? A Future Technology Forum in St. Louis.



The adaptive system consists of a four-legged undercarriage, which replaces the standard chassis. The effect is four independently articulated legs to make as if the helicopter could look away under its own power walk. Instead, the legs fold up against the hull of the vessel after the start and extend during landing. Each leg has a force-sensitive touch sensor in its foot and all four are designed to work in concert as a computer makes real-time calculations of the best angle, the legs to give and to keep stable contact the ship, without risking the rotor on the ground.

According to DARPA, the new chassis is easily installed, only slightly increased the weight of the boat, reduces the risk of damage caused by hard landings by 80 percent, allowing helicopters to 20-degree slopes down - that the current designs twice. It also allows helicopters to land on the decks on the high seas, which currently require that you make cranks down.

The video below shows the adaptive chassis in action.

Source: DARPA
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