I-Corps: A Robot for Joint Ground and Airborne Operations - Hybrid Robot

这个创新团队项目旨在测试一个可以在地面上移动、飞行和悬停的机器人的商业可行性。在地面模式下，转子和稳定杆沿机器人身体的长度向下沿着折叠。它通过将自己定位在末端，使其长轴垂直而不是水平定向，并展开其飞行机制来转换为飞行模式。 这种类型的机器人提供了几个关键的好处：1）能够执行复杂的任务，并返回基地，2）无辅助起飞（能够随意切换运动模式），3）悬停（保持在空中的位置），4）能够缩放大型障碍物并飞越崎岖的地形，以及5）高效的地面模式旅行。虽然这些好处中的一些可以用小型直升机来实现，但是第四项，“高效的地面模式旅行”，通过赋予它在实现其目标的同时节省能量的能力而使这种设计与众不同。一种机器人，具有根据需要多次切换空中和地面模式以完成使命的能力，具有在地面和空中的“停和走”能力，能够适应不同的任务、不可控的环境和不可预测的威胁。 许多任务需要穿越不易穿越的地形，例如在地震搜救情况下。除了搜索和救援应用，这种类型的机器人将是理想的许多其他应用，如：秘密监视，周边监视，侦察，执法，人质的情况下，特种部队行动，危险和/或污染（核，生物，化学，或放射性）区域检查，以及任何使命，需要在视线或在线的范围内的态势感知。

This Innovation Corps project proposes to test the commercial feasibility of a robot that can move on the ground, fly, and hover. In the ground mode, the rotors and stabilizer bar are folded down along the length of the robot's body. It transforms into its flight mode by positioning itself on-end, with its long axis oriented vertically rather than horizontally, and unfolding its flight mechanisms. This type of robot offers several key benefits: 1) Capability to carry out complex missions, and return to home base, 2) Un-assisted take off (ability to switch locomotion modes at will), 3) Hovering (maintaining position in the air), 4) Ability to scale large obstacles and fly over rough terrain, and 5) Efficient ground-mode travel. While some of these benefits could be realized with a small helicopter, the fourth item, "efficient ground-mode travel", sets this design apart by giving it the ability to conserve energy while still making progress toward its objective.A robot that has the capability to switch air and ground modes at will as many times as necessary to complete a mission, with "stop-and-go" capabilities both on the ground in the air, enables adaption to diverse missions, uncontrollable environments, and unpredictable threats. Many missions require movement through terrain which is not easily traversable, such as in an earthquake search-and-rescue scenario. In addition to search-and-rescue applications, this type of robot would be ideal for many other applications such as: covert surveillance, perimeter surveillance, reconnaissance, law enforcement, hostage scenarios, special force operations, hazardous and/or contaminated (nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological) area inspection, and any mission which requires situational awareness over the line-of-sight or over the line-of-reach.