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    "headline": "TU Delft Drone Uses Tactile Sensors to Perch on Branches",
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    "prose": "Researchers at TU Delft have developed a drone that can perch on branches using tactile sensors rather than relying solely on cameras. [^1]\n\nResearchers at the Netherlands' TU Delft developed a drone equipped with a three-fingered grasping arm and nine touch sensors to enable safe perching on tree branches. [^2]\n\nOnce securely attached to a branch, the drone can shut down its motors to reduce noise and conserve battery power. [^3]\n\nThe drone uses a three-fingered robotic hand with soft capacitive sensors to detect branches through physical contact and adjust its position before gripping. [^4]\n\nTests revealed that the tactile approach allows the drone to land successfully even when visual assessments of the branch are incorrect. [^5]\n\nThe drone's grasping arm uses nine sensors made of copper electrodes embedded in silicone to detect the position and orientation of branches. [^6]\n\nThe system requires all three fingers to make secure contact before the drone fully closes the arm and shuts off its motor. [^7]\n\nThe control architecture is organized as a sequence of states including takeoff, searching, touch detection, approach, positioning, rotation, finalization, perching, and abort. [^8]",
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