Design and Prototyping of a Walking Quadrotor

The design and experimental prototype of a hybrid robot capable of both aerial and terrestrial locomotion is presented in this paper. A unique compliant mechanism design makes it possible to use a single actuator set for both walking and flying. This is advantageous because it reduces both the total weight of the system and the control system complexity. The basic structure is similar to a quadrotor aerial vehicle, i.e. four brushless DC motors provide the required thrust for flying. The desired leg motion is derived from two separate linear movements. Horizontal motion of the legs is achieved by driving the main actuators in reverse. A second linear actuation unit, which is set into motion by shape memory alloy (SMA) wires, enables vertical movement of the leg during terrestrial locomotion.