Pole Flipping Chopper Bots

You may remember the “Nano Quad Rotors” from one of our Crazy Cool posts, way back in 2012. The nano-bots were doing all kinds of simple tasks in a very precise way, and it was pretty rad. Well, “Moore’s Law” states computing power and performance will double every 18-24 months, so these quad-choppers are new and improved!

Admittedly, the ability to balance a pole while flying is pretty sweet all by itself. But, if these little rascals could flip the pole in the air, have another chopper-bot catch it (in perfect balance) on a 6 cm disc – it would be even cooler. Oh, wait! They can? SNAP!

Check out these Pole-Dancing Chopper-Bots!

If you have ever tried to balance a broom handle on the palm of your hand, you know how incredibly difficult this task is. Why don’t you attempt tossing the broom in the air and catch it while it balances on your hand. Now add flying to the equation!

Jeez, I just learned to walk and chew gum last week!

About the Flying Machine Arena

The Flying Machine Arena (FMA) is a portable space devoted to autonomous flight. Measuring up to 10 x 10 x 10 meters, it consists of a high-precision motion capture system, a wireless communication network, and custom software executing sophisticated algorithms for estimation and control.

The system uses the motion capture info to determine what commands the vehicles should execute next to achieve their desired behavior, such as performing high-speed flips, balancing objects, building structures, or engaging in a game of paddle-ball. Then, via wireless links, the system sends the commands to the vehicles, which execute them with the aid of on-board computers and sensors such as rate gyros and accelerometers.