Micro-UAV with Ant-Inspired Bistable Gripper for Adaptive Perching and Wildlife Detection
Yuan Liu, Yadong Mo, Xuexiu Liang, Yongkang Jiang, Jian Li, Shimin Wei
Abstract
With the global ecological environment facing continuous deterioration, effective monitoring of arboreal birds in complex canopy environments remains challenging due to limitations of conventional drones in endurance, size, and habitat disturbance. To address these challenges, this paper presents an ant-inspired micro quadrotor UAV equipped with a lightweight bistable gripper system mimicking the mandibular morphology of leafcutter ants. The design integrates shape memory alloy (SMA)-driven actuation and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-based adaptive grippers, enabling rapid deformation (71 ms switching time) and energy-efficient operation (zero power consumption during perching). Experimental results demonstrate exceptional adaptability in grasping irregular objects (e.g., branches, pen caps) with an 8:1 payload-to-weight ratio. Field tests confirm stable navigation through dense foliage and reliable perching at heights exceeding 5 meters. The system’s compact dimensions (7 cm diameter, 70.5 g weight) and biomimetic approach offer a non-invasive solution for prolonged wildlife observation. This work advances bistable actuator design by combining bio-inspired structural optimization with rapid energy transition principles, showing potential in agile robotics and environmental sensing.
BibTeX
@inproceedings{iros2025_microuavwithanti,
title = {Micro-UAV with Ant-Inspired Bistable Gripper for Adaptive Perching and Wildlife Detection},
author = {Yuan Liu and Yadong Mo and Xuexiu Liang and Yongkang Jiang and Jian Li and Shimin Wei},
booktitle = {IROS 2025},
year = {2025}
}