With all the things a drone can do, the concept of a robot with protruding limbs seems intimidating. Such kind of drones have only been observed fictionally. PRODRONE is here to change that norm. PRODRONE has unveiled the world’s first drone with robotic hands attached to it. The drone with the additional pair of helping hands can do some interesting tasks in a dramatic way. Its hands have claw-like ends which can grasp the payload like a mechanical hand and then carry it to the required destination.
PRODRONE Co., Ltd. announced the PD6B-AW-ARM, a large-format drone equipped with two internally-developed robotic arms. PRODRONE had showcased its development in the International Drone Conference in Las Vegas back in 2016. PRODRONE, headquartered in Nagoya, Japan, has developed a wide range of commercial and industrial drones through development agreements with numerous industrial drone companies.
The uses of this drone are many. It has the ability to grasp and carry differently shaped cargo using its arms, to attach or join things, to cut cables, to turn dials, to flick switches, to drop life-saving buoys, to retrieve hazardous materials, etc. The PD6B-AW-ARM is based on PRODRONE’s large capacity PD6B-AW airframe, which has a maximum weight of 20kg (44 lbs). The high performance, 5 axis robotic arms can carry a payload of 10 kg (22 lbs). The drone is said to have a flight time of 30 minutes and is apt for long-duration tasks. The drone has a maximum speed of 60 km/h (37 mph) and can fly at an altitude of 5,000 meters. It can function in all weather conditions.
PRODRONE’s CEO, Masakazu Kono said, “PRODRONE has won high acclaim from numerous industrial drone businesses because we develop highly reliable, highly safe, high-performance industrial drones. We are firmly focused on the future of commercial drones and on being world pioneers in developing ‘task-oriented drones.’ The PD6B-AW-ARM makes a whole new range of tasks possible, and I am confident that nobody else could have made it.”
Watch the robotic arms of the PD6B drone :
