Collecting environmental data with high spatial and temporal resolution can aid studies in the environmental sciences to gain insights into ecological processes. Data collection with autonomous aerial robots can maximise accuracy, resilience, and deployment rate. Furthermore, it reduces the risk for researchers deploying sensors in inaccessible environments and can increase the cost-effectiveness of such studies. Based on this environmental data, ecological models can be developed that enable a better understanding of climate change's impact on our ecosystem and guide policymakers towards more efficient conservation methods.
Current robotic platforms are typically made of non-degradable and potentially toxic materials that can compromise the sensitive environment these systems are designed to monitor. Therefore, in the event of loss of control or malfunction, the systems need to be recovered manually to prevent any contamination.
In this dissertation, I introduce the concept of transient robots, which refers to biodegradable robotic devices made from non-fossil-based materials. The presented transient environmental sensing aerial robots integrate bio-based and bio-hybrid structures, as well as transient sensors and actuators. This work highlights various materials selection processes as well as their specific manufacturing techniques. Additionally, routes towards integrating the materials into fixed-wing drones, deployable grippers and gliders are discussed and demonstrated.
Those platforms have been characterised on a system level, and their respective structures have been evaluated mechanically and microscopically. Biodegradable material systems with high stiffness for lightweight airframes, as well as compliant structures for flexible actuators, have been investigated. Sensing mechanisms based on carbon-conductive structures and pH-reactive chemicals have been fabricated and demonstrated. Furthermore, actuation mechanisms have been introduced to enable humidity-triggered responses for targeted environmental monitoring.
This thesis will act as the basis for fellow researchers enabling them to design more sophisticated and functionally integrated transient robots for environmental monitoring.