Disasters come and go hard-prone areas. This robot can help.All things paralyzed during a disaster occurred, including communication systems. In fact, to build communication networks in disaster areas are often time-consuming, and it is fatal, inhibit the work of rescue teams to save lives.
However, the latest system of robots that can fly autonomously currently being developed by the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). These flying robots can form a wireless emergency network for faster, more reliable, and more affordable.
This robot is part of Swarming Micro Air Vehicle Networks (SMAVNET) or research project the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems (LIS) EPFL that aims to study the intelligence of animals, imitating and collective behavior of animal or insect colony. "The goal, to create a system that can be applied in skrenario disaster," said research scientist LIS, Jean-Christophe Zufferey like CNN loaded.
"We started the research at EPFL on the robot, inspired from biology in 2001, ranging from robotic insects that could avoid the possibility bumped into the wall or the ground. After the success, we move forward with conducting research in the outdoors."
Then, it started the manufacture of "flying wing" or "flying wing" - one of the 10 devices that were flown at the same time - as part of the project SMAVNET.
Flying wings are made of lightweight plastic foam lithium-powered batteries in the motor behind it. Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) - so he was called, was launched like a Frisbee. See video demonstration here.
Once airborne, the autopilot system will control the height, speed, and rate beloknya. At the same time MAVs avoid air collisions by communicating with one another via optical flow sensor.
The sensor is mounted in front of each MAV, enabling it to detect the distance between the object and change direction if they are too close to each other. His inspiration came from a crowd of ants that go hand in hand from their nest to a food source. "The sensor is similar to that found on a computer mouse - they are really good optical detector," said Zufferey.
SMAVNET final data for the project are currently being gathered prior to LIS researchers began a follow-up project called "Swarmix" - which will explore how the swarm robots can be used to assist in handling the disaster area.
The idea, which was flown the same group of MAVs will be equipped with small wireless module to form an ad-hoc network that can be used to communicate with rescue teams.
Small flying robot has the advantage rather than a network device on the ground. At least, the difficult post-disaster field no longer be a hindrance. The tool also does not depend on expensive sensors or equipment lava.
However, this tool is not perfect. Need some modification. The most obvious problem is the resistance - the small size of MAVs can only survive in air for 30 to 60 minutes. Solar energy is being considered to solve this problem.
Conversely, there are advantages of small size of the aircraft - which weighs about 420 grams, which will not cause damage if it hit something or someone.
Not only provide communication network during a disaster, these aircraft can also be used in a variety of missions, aerial photography, mapping of 2D and 3D, as well as for environmental monitoring.
When will this product be marketed? Zufferey said, wait until two to four years.
Source :: Vivanews
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