XPLORER: Passive Deformable Aerial Vehicle for Tactile Exploration

Navigating complex and obstacle-rich environments is a major challenge for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), especially in spaces where GPS signals are unavailable or prior environmental maps do not exist. Traditional drones are highly vulnerable to collisions, which can disrupt navigation, damage hardware, and limit their effectiveness in confined or cluttered areas. Additionally, many UAV systems rely heavily on visual sensing, reducing reliability in low-visibility or contact-heavy environments. These limitations create a need for more resilient and adaptive aerial systems capable of physical interaction with their surroundings.

 

Researchers at Arizona State University have developed XPLORER, a passive, deformable, quadrotor UAV, designed for tactile-based exploration and navigation. XPLORER utilizes a spring-augmented chassis paired with proprioceptive state awareness allowing it to withstand collisions while maintaining stability. It employs a novel external force estimation algorithm and four tactile motion primitives, such as tactile-traversal, tactile-turning, and ricocheting, to effectively explore and map unknown environments without GPS or pre-existing maps. Its lowered center of mass, deformable arms and stiffer springs improve stability, and optimize force application without compromising balance, enabling nondestructive inspection and reliable navigation in complex settings.

 

XPLORER is a novel, collision-resilient quadrotor UAV that is designed for tactile-based exploration, and navigation in complex, obstacle-rich environments.

 

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