Helicopters are versatile machines capable of maneuvering in
the air, but when it comes to landing, they prefer flat, level pads which are a
major problem to find in combat regions and rescue missions.
DARPA recently demonstrated a new robotic landing gear
system in unmanned flight near Atlanta, Georgia, that’s designed to overcome
these limitations of landing. Helicopter can land on broken or uneven terrain
with a high degree of safety.
Despite decades of development, most helicopters relay on
very simple wheels landing gear that wouldn’t look out of place on a Wright
flier.
When taking off and landing, helicopters need to remain a
fairly level ground to avoid tipping their rotors, which could suddenly collide
with the ground causing so much harm to the people near-by.
The result is that many times helicopters are forced to
hover precariously a few feet above the hill side or broken field when they are
loaded and unloaded.
The new robotic landing gear is currently under development.
The adaptive system consists of a four-legged undercarriage that replaces the
standard landing gear.
The effect is four independently articulated legs that make
it look as if the helicopter could walk away under its own power. Instead, the
legs fold up against the fuselage of the ship after takeoff and extend on
landing.
Each leg has a force sensitive contact sensor in its foot
and all four are designed to work in concert as a computer makes real time
calculations of the best angles to set the legs in order to keep the helicopter
level and stable, without risking the rotor hitting the ground.
According to DARPA, the new landing gear is easily
installed, only modestly increases the weight of the craft, reduces the risk of
damage from hard landings by 80 percent, and allows helicopters to set down on
20-degree slopes—twice the current designs. In addition, it allows helicopters
to make landing aon decks in high seas that currently require them to be
winched down.
This is an amazing feature which need to be added to most
rescue helicopters and military choppers….thanks to the increasing know how.
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