Current Status, Challenges, and Prospects for New Types of Aerial Robots

New types of aerial robots (NTARs) have found extensive applications in the military, civilian contexts, scientific research, disaster management, and various other domains. Compared with traditional aerial robots, NTARs exhibit a broader range of morphological diversity, locomotion capabilities, and enhanced operational capacities. Therefore, this study defines aerial robots with the four characteristics of morphability, biomimicry, multi-modal locomotion, and manipulator attachment as NTARs. Subsequently, this paper discusses the latest research progress in the materials and manufacturing technology, actuation technology, and perception and control technology of NTARs. Thereafter, the research status of NTAR systems is summarized, focusing on the frontier development and application cases of flapping-wing microair vehicles, perching aerial robots, amphibious robots, and operational aerial robots. Finally, the main challenges presented by NTARs in terms of energy, materials, and perception are analyzed, and the future development trends of NTARs are summarized in terms of size and endurance, mechatronics, and complex scenarios, providing a reference direction for the follow-up exploration of NTARs. (c) 2024 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier LTD on behalf of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Higher Education Press Limited Company. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).