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Narrator: The flight of birds has fascinated people for thousands of years.
How they stick their landings might not get the same hype,
but the way birds perch and grasp objects can be equally spectacular.
A new study investigated the mechanics of birds’ legs and feet
To craft robotic landing gear inspired by nature’s natural aviators.
Scientists drew on the anatomy and flight data
of peregrines and parrotlets to model bird landings,
accounting for variables such as the angle and distance to an object.
From these data, they designed a pair of flexible legs with grasping feet they called SNAG.
Next, they set up a rail system
that launched SNAG at natural and synthetic perches,
measuring its performance based on orientation, impact, and speed.
They also tossed objects at the feet to test their grasping ability.
Finally, they took SNAG into the wild.
They attached the legs to a quadcopter,
manually aiming the airborne robot at tree branches
before flicking on its landing programs.
After 3D-printing and testing more than 20 versions,
the researchers found the design they were looking for…
Upon landing, teeth mimicking an ankle tendon allow it to lock in place
and secure its perch in under 50 milliseconds,
three times faster than the blink of an eye.
An accelerometer in the foot
helps the robot balance by telling it which direction is down.
Meanwhile, a spring on the base of the robot absorbs the force of the landing,
transferring it back to the robot’s feet for an even tighter grasp.
The robot makes it possible to study bird landings
in a way that can’t be done with real birds.
They tested different toe arrangements of peregrines and parrotlets
to see if one was better suited to perching.
The robot performed equally well with both arrangements.
This suggests that neither toe layout was more beneficial than the other, in terms of its evolution.
In future studies, scientists hope they can better program the robot,
so that it can fly, orient, and land independent of human control.
There’s no powered motor in SNAG’s toes and legs,
making it especially useful to environmental monitoring,
since they can help land and balance a flyer
without using heavy, energy-intensive parts.
This technology could create a window into studying the habitats birds flock to.
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