Engineers from the University of Tokyo presented drones that could be combined into a single flight structure. The engineers’ goal was to teach drones to interact with each other when used in different conditions and with different payloads.

Engineers gave an example: If you need to lift a heavy object and a drone is not powerful enough, UAVs combine to lift the load together. Or if the opening in the room does not allow a large drone to enter, the drones can fly there one by one and turn into a single structure already inside.

Engineers say they’ve only used two quadcopters so far, but TRADY technologies can be scaled up to more drones if desired. The drones used in the demonstration look like regular quadcopters but have an additional component (plug or connector). Plug drone and plug drone are designed to be connected to each other.

Two systems have been developed to control these drones: A distributed control system that can be switched to a single control system for each unit to operate independently. The onboard computer transmits the position of each drone, allowing it to position itself at the right angle for convergence and divergence.

“In the future, we plan to develop a new docking mechanism equipped with hinges that allow the drone to change the direction of rotation of the rotor after assembly. This will significantly increase the controllability of the entire system,” the developers said. Source