Ice is particularly difficult for conventional drones to handle. Standard rubber landing feet can begin losing their grip on slopes of only about 9 degrees. As a surface becomes steeper, gravity also provides less force pressing the aircraft against it. On a 60-degree wall, the force keeping the aircraft against the surface is only about half of what it would experience on level ground.

The Ice Dart approaches the problem through a robotic technique known as perching. Inspired by the way birds, insects and geckos attach themselves to surfaces, perching allows a drone to land, reduce the operation of its noisiest systems and remain in place for extended periods instead of continuously hovering.

The 2.65-kg aircraft uses four carbon-fiber legs arranged in an X configuration. Each leg ends with a foot containing two spring-loaded spines pointing in opposite directions. One spine engages when the aircraft lands facing uphill, while the other can engage when it approaches downhill. This passive mechanism allows the feet to adapt to the drone's orientation without requiring the pilot to calculate a precise landing angle.

The landing system also incorporates 38 friction disks designed to absorb impact energy and prevent the aircraft from bouncing after contact. Keeping the legs compressed against the ice is essential because the spines need that pressure to penetrate the surface. For an additional boost during landing, the motors briefly reverse their thrust, pushing the aircraft into the ice and helping the spines establish a stronger grip.

The team tested the Ice Dart under real-world conditions on Iceland's Fjallsjökull glacier, with temperatures ranging from 0 to 10°C and wind gusts exceeding 30 km/h. The drone completed 24 successful landings on slopes of up to 58 degrees, achieving a 100% success rate during those trials. Controlled laboratory testing pushed the capability to 60-degree slopes at landing speeds of 3 m/s.

The ability to perch could significantly extend the usefulness of small drones for Arctic monitoring. Once stationary, an aircraft can consume substantially less energy than when hovering, potentially allowing it to function as a fixed sensor for much longer periods. Possible applications include iceberg monitoring, maritime safety and environmental research.

The Ice Dart is still a research prototype rather than a fully autonomous monitoring system. Icelandic trials relied on a human pilot and visual inspection support from a second drone, while testing has not yet been conducted on genuinely drifting icebergs in open water. Autonomous landing and testing in those environments represent the next steps toward practical Arctic deployment.

According to newatlas