Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) with perching capabilities can be used to efficiently place sensors in aloft locations. A major challenge for perching is to build a lightweight mechanism that can be easily mounted on a MAV, allowing it to perch (attach and detach on command) to walls of different materials. To date, only very few systems have been proposed that aim at enabling MAVs with perching capabilities. Typically, these solutions either require a delicate dynamic flight maneuver in front of the wall or expose the MAV to very high impact forces when colliding Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (head-first with the wall. In this article, we propose a 4.6 g perching mechanism that allows MAVs to perch on walls of natural and man-made materials such as trees and painted concrete facades of buildings. To do this, no control for the MAV is needed other than flying head-first into the wall. The mechanism is designed to translate the impact impulse into a snapping movement that sticks small needles into the surface and uses a small electric motor to detach from the wall and recharge the mechanism for the next perching sequence. Based on this principle, it damps the impact forces that act on the platform to avoid damage of the MAV. We performed 110 sequential perches on a variety of substrates with a success rate of 100%. The main contributions of this article are (i) the evaluation of different designs of perching, (ii) the description and formal modeling of a novel perching mechanism, and (iii) the demonstration and characterization of a functional prototype on a microglider. (See accompanying video and

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This paper presents a full 6 DOF microassembly system that features a novel remote center of motion configuration paired with advanced vision and illumination modules, as well as innovative user interaction concepts. Even though the semi-automatic design is primarily focused on the assembly of 3D bio-microrobotic devices out of individual 2.5D MEMS components, it can be configured for a large variety of assembly tasks. A gripper exchange mechanism allows reaching for parts with dimensions ranging from 5-800 m and a micro-fabricated platform featuring a special pattern provides a structured working area. The assembly of a miniature bio-microrobot is presented to demonstrate the dexterity and powerful features of this system. The underlying microassembly station combines multiple concepts for another step towards full manipulation automation in industrial and research applications.

This paper presents the main vision and research activities of the ongoing European project AIRobots (Innovative Aerial Service Robot for Remote Inspection by Contact, www.airobots.eu). The goal of AIRobots is to develop a new generation of aerial service robots capable of supporting human beings in all those activities that require the ability to interact actively and safely with environments not constrained on ground but, indeed, airborne. Besides presenting the main ideas and the research activities within the three-year project, the paper shows the first technological outcomes obtained during the first year and a half of activity.