A Collision-resilient Flying Robot

Proposes a flying robot that survives collisions rather than avoiding them, removing the need for complex sense-and-avoid or 3D mapping in cluttered GPS-denied spaces. An inner frame with propulsion and stabilisation sits inside a protective cage on a free-rotating three-axis gimbal, which limits the friction torque passed to the frame on impact. Guided by a collision model and experiments, the GimBall prototype flew fully autonomously through a forest while hitting obstacles several times.

Key findings

• A free-rotating three-axis gimbal cage decouples impact friction torque from the flight frame
• Prototype flew autonomously through a forest while colliding with obstacles several times

Limitations

• Abstract (via Crossref) only reviewed
• Proof-of-concept tested in forest/search-and-rescue settings, not in industrial assets
• Cage adds mass and reduces payload and endurance