Meeting Abstract
The outdoor world is covered in a wide range of surface textures and geometries, from rough tree bark to smooth building exteriors, which provide birds with useful infrastructure for perching. However, we do not yet know the fundamental principles behind the mechanisms and strategies that enable birds to land and take off from such diverse surfaces. To study these behaviors in detail, we made high-speed recordings of Pacific parrotlets taking off and landing from instrumented perches with a wide range of surface properties and diameters. We then used these recordings to develop kinematic and dynamic models, which provide insight into the control strategies that enable these maneuvers as well as how the feet conform to and grasp different structures. By further integrating these results with claw and foot measurements, summarized by models, we can better understand the claw/surface interaction involved in clinging to both natural and man-made surfaces. This insight into the biomechanics and behavior of how birds take off and land on a variety of surfaces can also inform the design of more robust and versatile perching mechanisms for aerial robots.
