This transforming flying dragon-robot can squeeze through gaps

There is a lot to be excited about in 2018, especially for those who love dragons.

Scientists at the University of Tokyo have created a floating aircraft and named it Dragon. The robot was presented at ICRA 2018 that took place last month in Australia. The DRAGON was created by syncing four thrusters together to create a serpentine.

According to IEE Spectrum, the acronym stands for Dual-rotor embedded multilink Robot having the Ability of multi-deGree-of-freedom-aerial transformatiON.

The aircraft successfully surpasses modern drones by solving a few problems that modern drones face. It can fly straight through congested spaces. The robot dragon has the capability to transform into shapes that are capable of carrying cargo.
The flying time of the aircraft is 3 minutes only.Researchers have said that they are trying to build the drone up to 12 modules. This will enable the aircraft to use its two ends similar to a gripper and pick up objects. The robot can rearrange its shape from a snake to a spiral and can also create a flying “L” shape.

The researchers conceptualize this robot as a kind of over-actuated flying arm that cannot only form new shapes but can also use those shapes for interacting with the world around it.

Sounds like a transformer, eh?