Скачать или смотреть HERMES: The Hybrid Tumbleweed Robot That Conquers Harsh Terrains

Meet HERMES, a groundbreaking hybrid robot inspired by the natural aerodynamics of tumbleweeds. Designed for harsh terrains, it combines wind-powered rolling with active quadcopter control, making exploration far more energy-efficient than traditional terrestrial robots.

Researchers discovered that real tumbleweeds have a special porosity gradient (60% on top, 40% on bottom), allowing them to generate 50% more drag than solid spheres. Using this insight, engineers built a lightweight spherical robot that rolls effortlessly in even low wind speeds while carrying sensors and payloads.

HERMES can:

• Roll passively using wind
• Glide smoothly on ground
• Rotate for reorientation
• Fly to escape obstacles

In tests, it used 48% less energy and navigated faster than active-only robots. This technology could transform planetary missions, post-disaster mapping, radiation monitoring, and landmine detection.

Credit: Sanjay Manoharan et al, Tumbleweed-inspired robots with hybrid mobility for terrestrial exploration, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-66513-1.


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