HyTAQ Robot Traverses Land And Air

Over the past year, we’ve seen robots that can do pretty much anything. So why not combine those abilities to make a robot that can do, well, everything? Engineers at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Robotics Lab are beginning to do just that with the HyTAQ, or the Hybrid Terrestrial and Aerial Quadrotor. Housed in a rounded cage-like structure, the HyTAQ can traverse the ground by rolling or, if the terrain gets too rough, can instantly take flight. “During terrestrial locomotion, the robot only needs to overcome rolling resistance. Therefore, it is much more energy efficient compared to an aerial-only quadrotor. This greatly extends the system’s operation time and range. On the other hand, the robot’s aerial locomotion capabilities make negotiating obstacles extremely easy.”

http://hellasxg.blogspot.com/2013/02/hytaq-robot-traverses-land-and-air.html