When it comes to robots, especially those that require some degree of autonomy, the more restricted the area in which they work, the simpler it is for them to engage with the world. A tethered industrial arm, for instance, simply has to worry about placing its tool within its work envelope. However, the difficulties arise for anything like an autonomous car, which must interact with the world in two or possibly two and a half dimensions.
But what about incorporating the third dimension? That is the world in which aerial robots must live and work, and it is here that the difficulties become particularly interesting. Not only are there few restrictions on movement, but you also have to contend with aerodynamics, navigation in space, and control mechanisms that must respond to even little disturbances without overcompensating.
The atmosphere is a difficult place to make a livelihood, and grappling with the issues of aerial robotics has held Nick Rehm busy as a hobbyist for many years, and more notably as an aeronautical engineer at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Nick has spent most of his time away from the office working on autonomous flying problems such as mid-air collision detecting and preventing, the design of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and fixed-wing aircraft, and even ground-effect aircraft. He'll stop by the Hack Chat to talk about the issues with aerial robots and the difficulties of unconventional flying, as well as how to deal with the third dimension.
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