I’ve been working on this technology for a few years now and I think putting this on a drone would be a great application for it.
My device picks things up and drops them without actuation. That’s ideal for a drone where keeping weight down is an issue.
Here’s the mechanism in action as controlled by a robotic arm: http://youtu.be/YVBLRg1Os1U
If you want a better visualization of how it works, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5YMrwfme9g
I’m hoping somebody at DMS has a drone capable of lifting a small object with this and is willing to get together and make a video with me.
Anybody interested?