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While walking robots and drones occupy different technological fields, a team of collaborators believe they could be great teammates. In a video released by researchers from the Autonomous Systems Lab at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, a drone flies through a room mapping visual data which is then used by a walking robot (in this case, a dog) to more effectively navigate obstacles and terrain.The system works via the drone’s onboard monocular camera, which maps the visual features of a location and environment, but also constructs an elevation map for the walking robot. Once created, the walking robot is able to localize itself against a “global map” and plan a “global path” and head toward its goal by interpreting the elevation map (which is continuously updated) as far as how it can be best traversed. As the robot makes its way along the path, an onboard laser range sensor helps it makes corrections in real-time.The team, which detail their research in the paper “Collaborative Navigation for Flying and Walking Robots ” (currently under peer review), hope to debut their collaborative walking robot-drone system at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in 2016.Related:A Throwable Drone Wants to Be Your Personal PhotographerThis Renaissance-Era Marble Was Carved By a RobotDrone Vandalism Is Here and Its First Victim Is Kendall Jenner
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