The Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed new landing gear for helicopters that allows them to land on uneven ground.
The adaptive system replaces standard helicopter landing gear with four articulated, jointed legs that are able to fold up next to the helicopter’s fuselage while in flight and are equipped with force-sensitive contact sensors in their feet. During landing, each leg extends and uses its sensors to determine in real time the appropriate angle to assume to ensure that the helicopter stays level while minimising the risk of the rotor touching the landing area.
DARPA program manager Ashish Bagai recently described the technology at a forum held in St Louis, Missouri
“The equipment—mounted on an otherwise unmodified, unmanned helicopter—successfully demonstrated the ability to land and take off from terrain that would be impossible to operate from with standard landing gear,” said Bagai.
He said the technology allowed stable landing and take-off on sloping terrain of up to 20 degrees as well as craggy, boulder-strewn or otherwise irregular terrain. It also would assist with ship landings in violent sea states.
The robotic landing gear is slightly heavier than traditional landing gear but has a significant increase in capabilities including a reduced risk of damage during hard landings, by as much as a factor of five.