It is a known fact that drones can be of great help for rescue missions. For this reason, a new kind of drone has been designed by experts. The drone can fold up its arms and cramp into tight spots. It can be of great use to search people during search missions.

Researchers from the University of Zurich created a drone that comes with four arms which can sheathe while flying in order to fit into gaps and holes. The aim is to send drones where humans can’t reach/. Thereby, it would become easy to discover victims present inside a crumpled building during an earthquake or fire.

These types of rescue drones are already present, but sometimes they are too large and come in elongated shape so that it can fit into most openings, such as a crack in the wall or through fallen bars. Researchers stated that their new drone’s shape-deviation capacity was motivated by the birds’ movement.

If it comes across a narrow entrance, it takes up an H-formation with its arms adjoining along one axis. In case the hole is a tight oval, it moves in the form of an O shape and all its arms get folded close to its body to absolve the obstacle. It can also change into a T shape to place one of its two cameras onboard very close to an object as possible in order to check it. The drone can easily adjust into a variety of asymmetrical shapes.

In its current form, the drone has an onboard computer, two cameras, and four arms. It has some ability to judge a situation for itself, but commanding it at a high level to enter a building and check every room is still not yet possible. Researchers are planning to work on algorithms to aid the drone attain full freedom as well as ways to ensure the drone fold in 3D.

Beyond indication for rescue missions, scientists and video buffs both could make use of the self-flying AI drone efficient of averting hindrance and wrapping into three-dimensional shapes. However, there is a huge chance of misuse. Researchers are still in their development phase, and aren’t planning to use the drones for any real mission.