Scientists from the University of Arizona have developed an inflatable body drone that can bounce off obstacles and even stick to them. The SoBar uses a high-strength, hermetically sealed nylon fabric frame with an accurately inflated polyurethane coating.

The end of each propeller “arm” protrudes beyond the propeller itself, so it hits the vertical surfaces before the propeller. This design allows the SoBar to bounce off walls undamaged and drop undamaged onto horizontal surfaces. The researchers outfitted the drone with an undercarriage made of steel springs enclosed in an inflatable nylon sheath that allowed it to stay in one place indefinitely without using battery power to hover.

SoBar’s technology could eventually be used in areas such as disaster search and rescue, where drones have to navigate confined spaces where they may encounter debris or other debris.

The project’s lead scientist, Associate Professor Wenlong Zhang, said that drones need to physically interact with their environment to perform a range of tasks, and that the soft body not only absorbs impact forces to resist collisions, but also provides the material’s flexibility needed for dynamics. maneuvers.