Raven has been designed to operate in environments inaccessible to conventional drones.
The unique thing about Raven is that it prioritises lightweight efficiency and versatile movement.
Raven weighs just 0.62kg and has avian-inspired legs that replicate bird-like limb dynamics.
Robotics and AI are reaching heights that we had probably only seen in sci-fi movies earlier. Scientists at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have unveiled Raven (Robotic Avian-inspired Vehicle for multiple environments). The name might sound like a handful, but this robotic vehicle can do a lot. It is sort of a drone and is inspired by the agility of birds like crows and ravens. It can walk, hop, and even fly. Raven adapts bird biomechanics to robotic locomotion.
Raven has been designed to operate in environments inaccessible to conventional drones. It has been designed by a team led by Dario Floreano at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems (LIS). The unique thing about Raven is that it prioritises lightweight efficiency and versatile movement. “This work sheds light on the coordination of legs and wings in birds and drones, paving the way for future innovations in agile, energy-efficient robotic designs,” said Floreano.
Raven weighs just 0.62kg and has avian-inspired legs that replicate bird-like limb dynamics. The design, led by PhD student Won Dong Shin, combines mathematical modeling, computer simulations, and experimental innovations to keep heavier components close to the body while springs and motors mimic bird muscle mechanics, so are more lightweight.
The drone has been created in a way that it can easily take energy-efficient takeoffs. It can jump into a flight from a standing position or after a fall. It also navigates rough terrain, jumps over obstacles, and ascends surfaces up to 26 centimeters high. “Birds transition between walking and flying without needing a runway, but replicating this in robotics has been challenging,” Shin explained.
The drone has been created in collaboration with experts from UC Irvine’s Neuromechanics Lab and EPFL’s BioRobotics Lab. Findings published in Nature highlight Raven’s potential for search-and-rescue missions, environmental monitoring, and disaster relief.
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