Scientists from the Institute of Information Technologies of RTU MIREA have developed an "arm" for drones. The manipulator can be installed on aerial, ground, marine, or underwater drones. This was announced by the university's press service.
Currently, a drone is essentially a flying camera. It can see, but it cannot touch. We want to give it hands.
Andrey Zuev, the project's scientific director, stated that a delivery drone with such an "arm" could gently place a package upon descent instead of dropping it.
The new development will allow equipping mobile platforms with a universal manipulator based on a cable-link design, which will be light enough for a drone and strong enough to interact with objects.
The manipulator will receive interchangeable nozzles for gripping cargo, applying aerosols, and using sprayers. The development team has already manufactured a prototype of such a drone and created an algorithm for controlling the manipulator.