Military robotics expert Roboteam is developing a hybrid air/ground robot system called ROOSTER, that mimics the flying of a male chicken. Its capability to fly over a short distance enables the Rooster to get around obstacles and reach vantage positions, like moving from a street to a rooftop in a short time. This performance allows the robot to reach an observation position or suspected objects much faster than by using conventional ground movement.
The Rooster employs a compact, foldable hex-rotor drone that weighs 3.6 kg (8 pounds) and can lift a weight of 4.5 kg (10 lbs.) The drone has a mechanical docking system fitted for the 1.65 kg (3.6 lb.) Iris mini-robot. As a small robotic sensor, Iris is equipped with cameras, LED lights and microphones remotely controlled from a distance up to 200 m’ (700 ft). The two robots (Rooster and Iris) are controlled from a single handheld controller and are designed to mate automatically upon operator command.
