Tiny drone borrows unexpected feature from nature

Thanks to their highly sensitive whiskers, which enable them to detect objects within reach before they get too close, rats and mice can hardly relate to the pain of a stubbed toe, despite having eight more toes than humans. This sensory organ lets rats scurry through buildings, sewers, burrows, and countless other environments with ease, regardless of visibility. Beyond touch, whiskers can also detect vibrations and even subtle air currents.

Inspired by this tactile sensing, researchers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have developed what they describe as a lightweight, whisker-based tactile sensor that gives drones the ability to navigate and explore their surroundings through gentle touch. Made from nitinol wire, an ultralight shape-memory nickel-titanium alloy, the whiskers let the drones sense their surroundings through touch rather than sight, allowing them to operate in darkness and low-visibility conditions.

Now, today's drones don't randomly crash into objects. Modern autonomous...

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