Duawlfin: A Drone with Unified Actuation for Wheeled Locomotion and Flight Operation
🤖 AI Summary
To address propeller-induced disturbances (e.g., dust generation, safety hazards) and low energy efficiency caused by mechanical redundancy in multimodal drones operating on the ground, this paper proposes Duawlfin—a novel drone architecture. It introduces, for the first time, a differential transmission mechanism based on one-way bearings, enabling quadrotor motors to serve dual roles in both aerial flight and wheeled ground locomotion without additional actuators or ground propulsion units. A dual-modal coordinated control framework with fast, smooth mode-switching strategies is designed, supporting climbing on 30° inclines and lateral turning accelerations approaching 1 g, while maintaining flight performance comparable to conventional quadrotors. Crucially, the design significantly mitigates near-ground propeller interference, enhancing human-robot coexistence safety and sensor reliability. All design documentation and experimental videos are open-sourced.
Application Category
📝 Abstract
This paper presents Duawlfin, a drone with unified actuation for wheeled locomotion and flight operation that achieves efficient, bidirectional ground mobility. Unlike existing hybrid designs, Duawlfin eliminates the need for additional actuators or propeller-driven ground propulsion by leveraging only its standard quadrotor motors and introducing a differential drivetrain with one-way bearings. This innovation simplifies the mechanical system, significantly reduces energy usage, and prevents the disturbance caused by propellers spinning near the ground, such as dust interference with sensors. Besides, the one-way bearings minimize the power transfer from motors to propellers in the ground mode, which enables the vehicle to operate safely near humans. We provide a detailed mechanical design, present control strategies for rapid and smooth mode transitions, and validate the concept through extensive experimental testing. Flight-mode tests confirm stable aerial performance comparable to conventional quadcopters, while ground-mode experiments demonstrate efficient slope climbing (up to 30{deg}) and agile turning maneuvers approaching 1g lateral acceleration. The seamless transitions between aerial and ground modes further underscore the practicality and effectiveness of our approach for applications like urban logistics and indoor navigation. All the materials including 3-D model files, demonstration video and other assets are open-sourced at https://sites.google.com/view/Duawlfin.
Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
Achieves efficient bidirectional ground mobility with unified actuation
Simplifies mechanical system and reduces energy usage
Enables safe operation near humans with seamless mode transitions
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
Unified actuation for wheeled and flight modes
Differential drivetrain with one-way bearings
Energy-efficient, safe ground operation near humans
🔎 Similar Papers
No similar papers found.
