Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have developed their version of a palmtop drone: a quadcopter that can fit inside a pocket.
The drone's arms are compact for stowing and, when it's time to fly, they swing out and lock into place in under a second.
The drone, designed by researchers Dario Floreano and Stefano Mintchev, uses the force of its spinning rotors to deploy its arms.
"This quadcopter is kitted with four foldable arms, manufactured in accordance with an origami technique," said Mintchev. "Deployment is driven by forces that are generated by the propellers. So when the propellers start to turn, the arms unfold."
From there, magnets help to draw the arms out and lock them into place for flight. After the drone's arms unfold, two of its four rotors reverse direction, within 50 milliseconds, to stabilize the quadcopter in flight.
The drone's arms are made of Fiberglass and polyester, which provide the rigidity necessary to keep the quadcopter stable in flight yet lightweight to keep it nimble.
The drone itself weighs about 1.3 ounces and, with its arms folded in, compacts to roughly 6.3 by 6.3 by 1.4 inches, about the size of a typical wallet.
For the researches, affordability is an integral part of the drone's practicality. They're hoping that their design is employed in other drone builds and that the affordability carries over.
"Now, if you have an affordable robot, you can simply fold it and put it in your pocket," said Floreano. "Or, [you can] carry many of these small robots in your backpack and go then use them wherever you need, easily."
The pair of researchers envisions swarms of their compact drones being deployed to assist in recovery efforts in the aftermath of a disaster. They could combine to photograph large areas, and their cost would allow rescue teams to use more of them.
While the collapsible drone is meant to be compact and affordable, an Aerigon drone, bearing a 4K 1000FPS $110,000 Camera, on the other hand, has caught some of the most amazing and detailed drone footage to date. Camera and rigging and drone counted, the venture cost $250,000.
Check out a short clip of the collapsible drone in action:
