Drones

Meet the Robot that Imitates Birds

A new robot has a capability most robots just don’t have: It can both walk and fly. The robot is known as LEONARDO, an acronym for LEg ON Aerial Robotic DrOne.
“Initially, it was developed with the idea of designing explorers systems that can combine legged mobility and fast aerial mobility to do autonomous explorations,” said Alireza Ramezani, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern University.
The robot built at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies, is about 2.5 ft (0.8 m) tall and it stands on thin, flexed legs. With a body made primarily of carbon fiber, the robot is strong, but weighs only six pounds. It has thrusters on either side of the torso, capable of providing thrust in either direction, and are powerful enough for flight. But that’s not their primary function. “The idea is not to create a quadcopter,” Ramezani said. “The idea is to have a machine that can leverage its legs and the thrusters to, for example, enhance its jumping capability.”