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Article

A Novel Amphibious Terrestrial–Aerial UAV Based on Separation Cage Structure for Search and Rescue Missions

1
2011 College, Nanjing Tech University; Nanjing 211816, China
2
College of Electrical Engineering and Control Science, Nanjing Tech University; Nanjing 211816, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(16), 8792; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15168792
Submission received: 15 July 2025 / Revised: 4 August 2025 / Accepted: 6 August 2025 / Published: 8 August 2025

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The proposed UAV aims to enhance rescue personnel’s operational efficacy in search-and-rescue missions, enabling a more efficient localization of trapped individuals and the delivery of critical emergency supplies to reduce casualties, while concurrently safeguarding responders’ safety.

Abstract

In response to the challenges faced by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in cluttered environments such as forests, ruins, and pipelines, this study introduces a ground–air amphibious UAV specifically designed for personnel search and rescue in complex environments. By innovatively designing and applying a separation cage structure, the UAV’s capabilities for ground movement and aerial flight have been enhanced, effectively overcoming the limitations of traditional single-mode robots operating in narrow or obstacle-dense areas. This design addresses the occlusion issue of sensing components in traditional caged UAVs while maintaining protection for both the UAV itself and the surrounding environment. Additionally, through the innovative design of an H-shaped quadcopter frame skeleton structure, the UAV has gained the ability to perform steady-state aerial flight while also better adapting to the separation cage structure, achieving a reduced energy consumption and significantly improving its operational capabilities in complex environments. The experimental results demonstrate that the UAV prototype, weighing 1.2 kg with a 1 kg payload capacity, achieves a 40 min maximum endurance under full payload conditions at the endurance speed of 10 m/s while performing real-time object detection. The system reliably executes multimodal operations, including stable takeoff, landing, aerial hovering, directional maneuvering, and terrestrial locomotion with coordinated steering control.
Keywords: UAV; amphibious; separation cage structure; H-shaped quadrotor frame skeleton; cluttered environment UAV; amphibious; separation cage structure; H-shaped quadrotor frame skeleton; cluttered environment

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MDPI and ACS Style

Jia, C.; Xing, Y.; Li, Z.; Ge, X. A Novel Amphibious Terrestrial–Aerial UAV Based on Separation Cage Structure for Search and Rescue Missions. Appl. Sci. 2025, 15, 8792. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15168792

AMA Style

Jia C, Xing Y, Li Z, Ge X. A Novel Amphibious Terrestrial–Aerial UAV Based on Separation Cage Structure for Search and Rescue Missions. Applied Sciences. 2025; 15(16):8792. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15168792

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jia, Changhao, Yiyuan Xing, Zhijie Li, and Xiankun Ge. 2025. "A Novel Amphibious Terrestrial–Aerial UAV Based on Separation Cage Structure for Search and Rescue Missions" Applied Sciences 15, no. 16: 8792. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15168792

APA Style

Jia, C., Xing, Y., Li, Z., & Ge, X. (2025). A Novel Amphibious Terrestrial–Aerial UAV Based on Separation Cage Structure for Search and Rescue Missions. Applied Sciences, 15(16), 8792. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15168792

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