Researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) have created a new biomimetic autonomous drone. Released from the air, the Albatross falls like a maple seed, lands on the water and then rights itself to sail autonomously by harvesting wind energy. These drones could one day monitor environmental conditions for weeks at a time.
After all, remote waters are difficult to monitor, and it can take a while for boats to get there, so why not seed it with autonomous drones from the sky.
At first, the name seems odd. Albatross is a loose, at-best acronym that stands for Airborne Lander with Buoyant AuToROtating Sailing Sensor. Right. But then you see the less-than-graceful landing of the albatross, and maybe they were just having a little fun with it.
The albatross has rigid wingsails that slow its fall through the air, then power it across the water. During the descent, the wings passively autorotate like a maple seed, slowing and stabilizing the drone before it reaches the water. Once it's in the water, those wings become sails, using the wind to move the robot. The albatross also has a fish-tail-inspired rudder that also works as a secondary propulsion mechanism. It can steer and generate thrust, which is important when the wind dies down.
The system is pretty simple, using just three actuators and three navigation sensors. Similar systems have six to eight actuators and a lot more sensors.
In recent tests, the Albatross was dropped from about 500 feet, successfully descended in stable autorotation and landed on the water with low impact. It then righted itself without help and sailed off on its own, navigating autonomously between set waypoints and reaching a peak sailing speed of just under 1 km/h (about 0.62 mph). But hey, it operated for about three hours while recording environmental measurements, like humidity, heat and wind direction, but the idea is to add underwater sensors and sonar, as well as larger energy-storage systems. This test also took place in a controlled, sheltered environment.
In the future, the drone could be used for environmental monitoring, climate change research, search and rescue, and maritime security. But for now, the proof of concept will need further development if it's going to stand up to stronger winds, currents, waves and the Kraken.
