Rewritten Article:

In a breakthrough that’s straight out of science fiction, a team of engineers at Caltech has developed a real-life Transformer that can morph in mid-air, allowing it to smoothly transition from flying to rolling on the ground. This innovative technology has far-reaching implications for commercial delivery systems and robotic explorers, making it an exciting development in the field of robotics.

The new robot, dubbed ATMO (aerially transforming morphobot), uses four thrusters to fly but can transform into a ground-rolling configuration using a single motor that lifts its thrusters up or down. This unique design allows ATMO to change its shape and function seamlessly, enabling it to adapt to various environments and situations.

According to Ioannis Mandralis, the lead author of the research paper published in Communications Engineering, “We designed and built a new robotic system inspired by nature – by the way that animals can use their bodies in different ways to achieve different types of locomotion.” For example, birds fly and then change their body morphology to slow themselves down and avoid obstacles. Mandralis adds, “Having the ability to transform in the air unlocks a lot of possibilities for improved autonomy and robustness.”

However, mid-air transformation also poses challenges due to complex aerodynamic forces that come into play both because the robot is close to the ground and because it is changing its shape as it morphs. Mory Gharib, the Hans W. Liepmann Professor of Aeronautics and Medical Engineering, notes that “Even though it seems simple when you watch a bird land and then run, in reality this is a problem that the aerospace industry has been struggling to deal with for probably more than 50 years.”

To better understand these complex aerodynamic forces, the researchers ran tests in Caltech’s drone lab using load cell experiments and smoke visualization. They fed those insights into the algorithm behind a new control system they created for ATMO, which uses advanced model predictive control to continuously predict how the system will behave in the near future and adjust its actions accordingly.

“The control algorithm is the biggest innovation in this paper,” Mandralis says. “Quadrotors use particular controllers because of how their thrusters are placed and how they fly. Here we introduce a dynamic system that hasn’t been studied before. As soon as the robot starts morphing, you get different dynamic couplings – different forces interacting with one another. And the control system has to be able to respond quickly to all of that.”

The potential applications of ATMO are vast and exciting, from commercial delivery systems to robotic explorers. With its unique ability to transform in mid-air and adapt to various environments, this technology has the potential to revolutionize the field of robotics and beyond.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of materials science. By expanding on a classic model developed over 70 years ago, scientists in UCI’s Samueli School of Engineering have gained new insights into the behavior of advanced materials critical to energy systems, space exploration, and nuclear applications.

The traditional Frank-Read theory attributed slip band formation to continuous dislocation multiplication at active sources. However, the UC Irvine team found that extended slip bands emerge from source deactivation followed by the dynamic activation of new dislocation sources. This process was observed at the atomic scale through mechanical compression on micropillars made of a chromium-cobalt-nickel alloy.

Using advanced microscopy techniques and large-scale atomistic modeling, researchers were able to visualize the confined slip band as a thin glide zone with minimal defects and the extended slip band with a high density of planar defects. This understanding has shed new light on collective dislocation motion and microscopic deformation instability in advanced structural materials.

Deformation banding, where strain concentrates in local zones, is a common phenomenon in various substances and systems, including crystalline solids, metals, granular media, and even geologic faults under compressive stress. The discovery of extended slip bands challenges the classic model developed by physicists Charles Frank and Thornton Read in the 1950s.

“This foundational knowledge will accelerate the discovery of materials with tailored and predictable mechanical properties to meet the rising demand for advanced materials resilient to extreme environments across energy and aerospace sectors,” said corresponding author Penghui Cao, UC Irvine associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.

The research was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, UC Irvine, and the National Science Foundation (through the UC Irvine Center for Complex and Active Materials). The project involved graduate students, research specialists, and other professors from UCI’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

As the world warms due to climate change, holiday flights in Europe may be forced to carry fewer passengers in the coming decades. Scientists at the University of Reading have studied how hotter air affects aircraft performance during take-off, with alarming results.

The researchers focused on the Airbus A320, a common aircraft used for short and medium-haul flights across Europe. By the 2060s, some airports with shorter runways may need to reduce their maximum take-off weight by the equivalent of approximately 10 passengers per flight during summer months.

Dr Jonny Williams, lead author of the study at the University of Reading, explained: “A warming world has an impact on people and businesses worldwide, and we are now showing one way it could increase the price of your summer holiday. Flying to Spain, Italy or Greece could get more expensive as flights carry fewer people due to climate change.”

The study found that hot summer days when smaller airports have to reduce their weight will become more common. Conditions which used to happen about 1 day in a summer may happen 3 or 4 days a week by the 2060s.

Four popular tourist destinations – Chios, Greece; Pantelleria, Italy; Rome Ciampino, Italy; and San Sebastian, Spain – will be most affected. These airports have shorter runways, meaning airlines can’t operate them at the maximum weight set by the manufacturer. Future increases in heatwaves will only make this worse, forcing operators to reduce aircraft weights and profit margins even further.

While larger airports like London Heathrow and Gatwick have runways long enough to handle the A320 even in extreme heat, they may face challenges with larger aircraft like the Airbus A380, which needs more runway space. Airlines might need to reschedule flights to cooler parts of the day, and runway maintenance needs could increase as surfaces degrade faster in extreme heat.

The researchers note that following a more sustainable climate path would stabilise these effects, whereas continued high emissions would make the problem significantly worse. Future studies will examine how other factors like humidity and changing wind patterns may further impact take-off performance.