The pint-sized propeller-powered robots can be packed away into a suitcase. They have multiple cameras which enable them to 'see' the world around them as they navigate their way through buildings, carrying out tasks like deliveries or inspections. "You'll be able to put your suitcase on the ground, open it up and send the flying robot off to do its job," said Professor Peter Corke, from the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering. "These robots could fly around and deliver objects to people inside buildings and inspect things that are too high or difficult for a human to reach easily. Instead of having to lower someone down on a rope to a window on the seventh floor, or raise them up on a cherrypicker, you could send up the flying robot instead."
展开▼