DASH Robot flies and hops with minimalistic spring-leg design
A ducted fan and spring leg let this robot fly, hop, and transition automatically.
Deep Dive
DASH (Ducted Aerial Spring Hopper) is a novel minimalistic aerial-terrestrial robot integrating a coaxial ducted fan body with a springy leg. It uses a contact-implicit model predictive controller to automatically select locomotion modes and actuation. The robot was validated on tasks including periodic hopping, aerial flight, and mode-free locomotion with autonomous mode transitions during obstacle traversal. The design emphasizes mechanical simplicity, versatility, and energy efficiency.
Key Points
- DASH uses a coaxial ducted fan for thrust-vectored flight and a single spring leg for ground hopping.
- Contact-implicit MPC enables automatic mode transitions between aerial and terrestrial locomotion without explicit switching logic.
- Validated on tasks including periodic hopping, sustained flight, and obstacle traversal with autonomous mode changes.
Why It Matters
A mechanically simple robot that seamlessly flies and hops could enable low-cost, energy-efficient robots for search-and-rescue and inspection.