The very first full-scale load-bearing structure has been autonomously built by drones this month and took place at the ETH Zurich Flying Machine Arena in Switzerland.
Drones were programmed to carry out the arial task required to created the rope bridge that is capable of taking the weight of up to 1300 kg over the 7.4m long span that connect two scaffolding towers.
Watch the video below to see the drones in action as they create the rope bridge, opening up a wealth of new applications for drone construction. Robohub explains more about the unique process :
The project was developed at the Flying Machine Arena a research and demonstration platform for aerial robotics. The arena is equipped with a motion capture system that provides vehicle position and attitude measurements for the small custom quadrocopters. An offboard computer runs the algorithms and sends commands out to the flying machines via a customized wireless infrastructure.
Before construction begins, the location of the scaffolding is measured and input to the system. Once the anchor point locations for the rope are known, all the connections and links of the bridge’s primary and bracing sections are — without human intervention — autonomously woven and secured into place by the quadrocopters, which are each equipped with a motorized spool that allows them to control the tension of the rope.
For more information on the new drone built rope bridge jump over to the Robohub website for full details via the link below.
Source: Robohub : ETH Zürich : Gramazio Kohler Research : Engadget
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