A rotorcraft flying robot developed by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) took part in a drill of search and rescue in disaster ruins Tuesday in Beijing.
The project is part of "863 Program", China's State High-Tech Research & Development Plan. It was developed by Robotics Laboratory, Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA), CAS and the country's National Earthquake Response Support Service, aiming to provide intelligent high-tech equipment for earthquake relief.
Following the orders of quick-response and ruin-search, the 40kg robot demonstrated auto takeoff, hovering, flight-path tracking, hedgehop data collecting, and auto landing, realizes quick data collecting and real-time image feedback.
With a maximum payload of 40kg, the robot can cruise as far as 120 kilometers, fly at 3000 meters altitude and withstand strong breeze. Its flight duration can range to 1.5 hours.
Success of the drill enabled the item to enter demo application sage and has provided a solid basis for the use of rotorcraft in China's disaster relief.
