EPFL’s RAVEN is a fixed-wing drone that can take off without a runway using bird-inspired legs. EPFL’s RAVEN is a fixed-wing drone that can take off without a runway using bird-inspired legs. is a ...

Researchers have built a drone that can walk, hop, and jump into flight with the aid of birdlike legs, greatly expanding the range of potential environments accessible to unmanned aerial vehicles.

Most drones on the market are rotary-wing quadcopters, which can conveniently land and take off almost anywhere. The problem is they are less energy-efficient than fixed-wing aircraft, which can fly ...

Many organisms can transition smoothly from one mode of locomotion to another, often by using the same body parts. For example, flying fish use their fins to steer underwater, and these same ...

A robot that can jump into flight like a bird could eliminate the need for runways for small fixed-winged drones. Birds use the powerful explosive force generated by their legs to leap into the air ...

Drone aircraft are no longer curiosities—they're widely used in recreation, transportation, and even warfare. Most of these flying machines use rotary-wing quadcopter designs, which allow them to take ...

“As the crow flies” is a common idiom referring to the shortest distance between two points, but the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems (LIS), led by Dario Floreano, in EPFL’s School of Engineering has ...