Bird-inspired drone takes off by hopping.

Scientists have built a bird-inspired robot that can walk on the ground, jump over obstacles and hop into flight. The development could pave the way for the development of sophisticated land drones.

Many life forms use the same body parts to perform or assist in different forms of locomotion, inspiring engineers.

Birds use their hind legs for a range of functions, including walking, hopping, leaping and hopping to take off. These are skills that could come in handy in aerial robots and drones.

But building a system with multiple modes of locomotion is difficult because of the added complexity and weight that can make flight inefficient.

A newly built robot with bird-like limbs overcomes some of these challenges. It’s called Raven, short for Robotic Avian-inspired Vehicle for multiple ENvironments.

It has limbs and structures that mimic a bird’s hip, ankle and foot, although it is less complex than the multi-part bird anatomy.

In tests, the scientists said Raven took off by hopping like a bird.

The researchers used computer simulations to calculate the leg movement and speed required for Raven to fly.

In their study, published Wednesday in the academic journal Nature, they found that Raven could quickly and automatically switch to flight mode by simultaneously triggering the robot’s hopping legs and front propeller.

“The robot can reach a desired takeoff speed of about 2.4 meters per second, which is comparable to birds of similar body mass,” the scientists said.

The researchers said the new design “significantly” improves flight takeoff speed and could be more energy efficient than robots that take off without hopping.

The new leg design allowed the robot to perform a range of movements, including walking, jumping over a gap and jumping over an obstacle.

According to the study, Raven’s hopping legs also allowed it to start its flight at a height of about 0.4 m, helping it overcome potential ground obstacles.

The hopping strategy “allowed the drone to take off in a wider range of conditions and at a higher initial speed, providing a more stable takeoff,” the scientists said.

With further optimization, the researchers said Raven’s leg design could inspire the development of more versatile robots with multiple modes of motion.

The scientists noted that this work could pave the way for more versatile machines that use multiple modes of motion while minimizing efficiency tradeoffs.

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