Hitchhiker Drone Lands On Moving Vehicles Using Suction Cups

Check out this short video of an innovative UAS called the Hitchhiker Drone that uses Advanced Tracking and Suction Cups to land on the back of a moving vehicle.

A new drone named Hitchhiker, designed by Sensen Liu at Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s School of Mechanical Engineering, can land on inclined, moving surfaces like the back of a moving car.

“Our interest stems from the fact that many structures—including buildings, bridges, and ground vehicles—feature inclined surfaces that are difficult for traditional drones to land on,” Liu explains to IEEE Spectrum. “By creating drones with this capability, we can leverage these surfaces as landing sites and expand the possibilities for the use of drone technology.”

Liu’s team recognized the potential of designing drones that can land on inclined surfaces of buildings, bridges, and vehicles, thus expanding the possibilities for drone applications. 

Hitchhiker Drone in action