AI Drone Learns To Fly In Real World From A Simulated Expert

The device is more environmentally friendly and sustainable thanks to the bio-based materials. The study was directed by Mirko Kovac and Fabian Wiesemüller.

AI Drone Learns To Fly In Real World From A Simulated Expert

A transient flying drone robot that can be left in the environment for monitoring and one-way missions is suggested in a recent paper. Drone is made of biodegradable and biosourced materials.

The device is more environmentally friendly and sustainable thanks to the bio-based materials. The study was directed by Mirko Kovac and Fabian Wiesemüller.

The flying drone can be released to collect and report back data from natural forests and then once its mission is complete, or in the event of a malfunction, it can land on the forest floor where it decays harmlessly. This is because the “ingredients” of the drone are simple starch, agar, and gelatin mixed with some wood waste.

Robotics has reduced the cost and labour intensity of environmental monitoring, enabling the collection of data in ecosystems and regions that are challenging to access. However, a malfunctioning drone could cause harmful materials to be dumped in delicate ecosystems, endangering the delicate balance.

The Sustainability Robotics Lab team led by Wiesemüller and Kovac plans to monitor the health of forests and their biological and chemical balance using the data collected by the smart drones.

A biodegradable drone with a 420 mm wingspan and one propeller facing backwards resembles a palm-sized glider and has no tail.

The most fascinating aspect of this flying machine is that its wings are composed of cellulose from wood waste that has been finely ground in combination with conventional potato starch or agar.

The components are combined, freeze-dried, and then formed into a lightweight foam that is stiff enough to form into wings. An ultra-low roughness electronics paper was bonded to the core of the wing to strengthen it.

Although cellulose is the most prevalent polymer on Earth, Wiesemüller noted that it is a perfect candidate for the design of transient robots due to its mechanical qualities and inherent sustainability. High-porosity foams that are lightweight, bio-based, and completely biodegradable were created by combining it with the other three biopolymers.

“It was found that cellulose and gelatin feature the best properties, maximising the specific stiffness and specific strength,” he added of the mechanical analysis of the various compositions.

According to Wiesemüller, the team attached a sensorized skin to this structure that is also biodegradable and is made of carbon black sensors that were ink jet printed on cellulose.”

A desktop ink-jet printer with a carbon-black ink base was used. The samples were dried using a heated pad after the ink was applied to low-roughness electronics paper, the researchers said.

The resulting printed sensors are inexpensive, and thanks to the flexible manufacturing method, their design can be altered quickly. Only one portion of the drone has so far not decomposed to the forest floor, but the scientists have taken steps to ensure this portion will cause the least amount of environmental harm.

According to Wiesemüller, “the fuselage section carries an electronics box that serves as a crash box and holds the non-biodegradable components, such as the data link and flight controller, reducing the risk of contaminating the environment.”

A “race against time” begins once the drone lands on the forest floor at the end of its useful life, according to the team behind it. Nature begins to decompose it as the sensorized skin of the machine measures the temperature.

When the team tested the biodegradable drone in lab conditions, they found that soil organisms decomposed most of the wings after only 14 days.

Two weeks later, the sensing skin started to decompose, allowing the drone’s parts to return to nature during the process of decomposition.

All that is left are the conventional electronic parts in their housing, much like a black box used in aeroplanes, which must be collected later.

The drone used by the team has already completed a number of test flights in which it was manually controlled, exhibited flight stability, and achieved continuous data streaming from the integrated sensors. The flying wing, according to Wiesemüller, also had a high degree of agility and could maintain flight for up to 15 minutes.

The drone’s sensing capabilities will be improved in the future; the team notes that the temperature sensor it currently uses is just a proof-of-concept model and will be replaced by sensors that can also assess the health of trees, water, and soil in real-time throughout the landing zone in the forest. “In the following stage, we intend to include additional transient sensors that can offer more environmental data.

According to Wiesemüller, this includes indicators like relative humidity, UV intensity, and pollutant levels. “In addition, we are working to replace a growing number of non-biodegradable parts, like the battery, with transient electronic parts.”