Abstract

We present PufferBot, an aerial robot with an expandable structure that may expand to protect a drone’s propellers when the robot is close to obstacles or collocated humans. PufferBot is made of a custom 3D printed expandable scissor structure, which utilizes a one degree of freedom actuator with rack and pinion mechanism. We propose four designs for the expandable structure, each with unique charac- terizations which may be useful in different situations. Finally, we present three motivating scenarios in which PufferBot might be useful beyond existing static propeller guard structures.

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