Animals, such as birds, widely use multi-modal locomotion by combining legged and aerial mobility with dominant inertial effects. The robotic biomimicry of this multimodal locomotion feat can yield ultra-flexible systems in terms of their ability to negotiate their task spaces. The main objective of this paper is to discuss the challenges in achieving multimodal locomotion, and to report our progress in developing our quadrupedal robot capable of multi-modal locomotion (legged and aerial locomotion), the Husky Carbon. We report the mechanical and electrical components utilized in our robot, in addition to the simulation and experimentation done to achieve our goal in developing a versatile multi-modal robotic platform.

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Flying animals possess highly complex physical characteristics and are capable of performing agile maneuvers using their wings. The flapping wings generate complex wake structures that influence the aerodynamic forces, which can be difficult to model. While it is possible to model these forces using fluid-structure interaction, it is very computationally expensive and difficult to formulate. In this paper, we follow a simpler approach by deriving the aerodynamic forces using a relatively small number of states and presenting them in a simple statespace form. The formulation utilizes Prandtl's lifting line theory and Wagner's function to determine the unsteady aerodynamic forces acting on the wing in a simulation, which then are compared to experimental data of the bat-inspired robot called the Aerobat. The simulated trailing-edge vortex shedding can be evaluated from this model, which then can be analyzed for a wake-based gait design approach to improve the aerodynamic performance of the robot.