Robotic Landing Gear for Emerging eVTOL and Urban Air Mobility Systems

Commercial eVTOL aircraft are emerging for use in urban environments that assume well prepared landing sites and extensive backup power systems that ensure soft landings. Such designs do not consider defense-specific missions where landing terrains may be mobile or unprepared. Additionally, they do not consider emergency scenarios where hard impact landings may be inevitable. In order for these aircraft to successfully transition to USAF missions, they will need to land on unprepared surfaces and even mobile platforms, such as ship decks, and offer hard impact attenuation. EDC and research partner Georgia Tech propose to analyze Robotic Landing Gear (RLG) for Group 4 eVTOL platforms that will meet the future needs of the USAF. This development necessitates the integrated optimization of the actuation mechanism, drivetrain, and structural members to meet specific constraints of eVTOL aircraft. The partnership will leverage existing dynamic and structural topology design tools to create a commercial and USAF RLG solution that expands potential landing zones and increases operational safety.