PerchRL: Vision-Based Agile Perching on Inclined Platforms under Rapid and Irregular Motion

Autonomous vision-based perching of quadrotors on moving inclined platforms is critical for air-ground collaboration but remains challenging due to the limited field of view (FOV). In this paper, we propose PerchRL, a reinforcement learning (RL) framework for vision-based agile perching on inclined platforms under rapid and irregular motion. Specifically, we employ a two-stage learning strategy consisting of state-based pre-training followed by vision-based fine-tuning. To improve generalization across diverse platform motions, we employ randomized platform trajectories to prevent overfitting and temporal augmentation methods to capture latent motion patterns from historical observations. During vision-based fine-tuning, a hybrid learning framework consisting of visibility-aware state augmentation and active perception rewards is presented to improve robustness under intermittent visual loss. Extensive simulation and real-world experiments demonstrate the feasibility, stability, and real-time performance of PerchRL, while successful deployment across distinct quadrotor platforms further validates its adaptability. The source code will be released to benefit the community.

A transformable slender microrobot inspired by nematode parasites for interventional endovascular surgery

Cardiovascular diseases account for around 17.9 million deaths per year globally, the treatment of which is challenging considering the confined space and complex topology of the vascular network and high risks during operations. Robots, although promising, still face the dilemma of possessing versatility or maneuverability after decades of development. Inspired by nematodes, the parasites living, feeding, and moving in the human body's vascular system, this work develops a transformable slender magnetic microrobot. Based on the experiments and analyses, we optimize the fabrication and geometry of the robot and finally create a slender prototype with an aspect ratio larger than 100 (smaller than 200 microns in diameter and longer than 20 mm in length), which possesses uniformly distributed magnetic beads on the body of an ultrathin polymer string and a big bead on the head. This prototype shows great flexibility (largest curvature 0.904 mm-1) and locomotion capability (the maximum speed: 125 mm/s). Moreover, the nematode-inspired robot can pass through sharp turns with a radius of 0.84 mm and holes distributed in three-dimensional (3D) space. We also display the potential application in interventional surgery of the microrobot by navigating it through a narrow blood vessel mold to wrap and transport a drug (95 times heavier than the robot) by deforming the robot's slender body and releasing the drug to the aim position finally. Moreover, the robot also demonstrates the possible applications in embolization by transforming and winding itself into an aneurysms phantom and exhibits its outstanding injectability by being successfully withdrawn and injected through a medical needle (diameter: 1.2 mm) of a syringe.