The intellectual merit of this proposal lies in the bio-inspired approaches to novel control strategies, vision-based sensing solutions, and strategies for cooperative pursuit and herding that will be gleaned from the literature and observations of the behavior of birds. This study will result in both fundamental scientific knowledge and a practical application revolving around the development of highly maneuverable unmanned aerial vehicles based on flapping-wing robots. The intelligence of birds manifests itself in the evasive talents of flocks of birds and this proposal attempts to recreate that intelligence through the challenge of applying a bird-like robot to the problem of preventing aircraft/bird collisions near airports. According to surveys by the International Bird Strike Committee, none of the existing systems to prevent bird strikes on airfields are adequate. The reasons include habituation by birds to these systems; movement of birds to other parts of the area, or scattering of them all over the airfield; and the tendency of birds to come back when a threat has gone. The only proven lasting way of removing birds is by using live birds of prey, but real birds are too difficult to control and train. An alternative is to study and extract the behaviors and dynamics of real birds in order to develop and deploy a robotic lookalike. The objective of this proposal, motivated by the problem of keeping airfields clear of disruptive avian flocks, is to develop control and sensing strategies for bird-like flapping robots that can be deployed in swarms to fend off "antagonists." This work will build upon the PI's previous work on the control of flapping-wing aircraft using limit-cycle-based central pattern generators (CPGs), and on the dynamics and control of flexible, articulated-wing aircraft.
Broader Impacts: Society as a whole stands to benefit immensely from robotic birds that can effectively prevent bird strikes, which cause airplane crashes and millions of dollars annually in damage. Furthermore, because of their high aerodynamic efficiency in forward flight, articulated-winged flapping aerial robots equipped with sensors could have tremendous value by being able to inspect hazardous areas. For the field of robotics, the proposed transformative research will make far-reaching contributions, advancing the state of the art in aerial robotics, cooperative control theory, and control of flexible robot structures. Additionally, this project's education and outreach activities will help introduce a new generation of young people, including those from underrepresented populations, to the excitement of science and engineering careers. Multiple avenues of educational outreach will be pursued, taking advantage of the powerful appeal of the topics of robotics and bio-inspired flight.
