Introduction
One of the main fundamental aspects of UAV technology is its adaptability to a wide assortment of environments and situations especially in cases where overt attention should not be drawn to the UAV. The main problem with this particular type of long range reconnaissance technology lies in the fact that though the amount of noise it produces can be minimized its aerial profile can only be reduced to a certain extent especially in instances of prolonged aerial flight (a floating/flying object in the sky is obvious to most bystanders). To remedy this, various technological developments have been attempted to either reduce the UAV’s aerial profile by enabling it to more easily blend into the background or create a sufficiently small enough device that it would not be immediately noticeable by observers from the ground. While such attempts have proven to be successful they still lack the ability to sufficiently conceal a UAV in situations where prolonged observation is necessary. In cases where a UAV has to observe an area for a prolonged period of time it is often necessary to land the aircraft to both conserve fuel/batter power and to reduce the likelihood of it being spotted. Unfortunately landing a UAV is easier said than done especially in cases where there are insufficient flat surfaces to choose from or the landscape is dotted by trees.
Biologically Inspired “Gripping” Mechanisms
One proposed solution to the landing problem of a UAV’s “perch and stare” maneuver is the utilization of biologically inspired leg systems in order to latch on to walls or branches in order to inconspicuously land a UAV. It was seen in the Nagendran (2012) article that the implementation of such an innovation was done to great effect wherein a UAV had a gripper mechanism (similar to a bird’s leg) that was able to latch onto protruding branches and corners and sufficiently land as well as takeoff (Nagendran, 4 – 13). It must be noted though that the process of “gripping” involves not only careful calculations involving the speed and angle of deceleration but also the gripping power necessary to sufficiently latch onto either a branch or wall corner. If the UAV descends too quickly it runs the risk of bouncing off the landing point and if the amount of pressure utilized by the gripper mechanism is insufficient this creates the possibility of the UAV slipping off (Nagendran, 4-13).
Verifying the Results
In terms of verifying the results shown in the Nagendran (2012) paper there are several ways in which this can be done, one possible way is to first examine the ability of a small to medium scale UAV to actually hold the weight of a gripper mechanism that could actually latch onto a brand or pole from a vertical angle. The next method of examination is to determine if the materials indicated by the Nagendran (2012) text were actually suitable for the task of a gripper mechanism or if other biological inspired mechanized “grippers” can be utilized to even greater effect. Lastly, it must be determined whether a generalized “gripper” mechanism can be applied or installed to a wide variety of UAV’s instead of a specialized system that can only work on a particular type.
Conclusion
It is expected that through an examination of the mechanisms involved in the Nagendran (2012) paper an effective biologically inspired mechanism for landing and inconspicuous observation could be developed to great effect.
Works Cited
Nagendran, Arjun. “Biologically inspired legs for UAV perched landing.” Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, IEEE. 27.2 (2012): 4-13. Print.