Watch as gravity-defying DJI F450 drone lands on a steep roof

No matter how advanced its landing system is, most consumer drones today require a flat landing site to touch down safely. Small drones, in particular, are not capable of landing in complex situations, such as on steep roofs, in wind gusts, or at high-impact velocities. But now, researchers have taught a DJI F450 drone to land in some of the most difficult scenarios.

The Createk Design Lab at the Université de Sherbrooke in Canada has developed a new landing technology that enables drones to land in situations that are far from ideal.

Combing the concept of reverse thrust and adaptive friction shock absorbers, the team has designed a landing gear prototype that has since been attached to a DJI F450 drone and tested in real-world conditions.

In a paper published in IEEE Xplore, researchers explain that when lightweight friction shock absorbers are combined with rapid thrust reversal, it increases the landing envelope of a quadrotor. “The friction shock…