Draft:Morpho (UAV)

Morpho is an unmanned aerial vehicle with four tails and wings that can change shape to match different flight modes and adjust to varying wind conditions. The drone was created by a Swiss startup called Elythor, which emerged as a separate entity from the research institute of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. It has a range of multiple kilometers.

Design
The drone features a streamlined body resembling a bullet, equipped with four arms and four wings that have the ability to rotate around the central structure. Total weight is 3.5 kg. Flight time is 17 minutes. Vertical speed can reach 8 km/h. Cruising speed is 60 km/h. It can conduct autonomous waypoint navigation. Vertical takeoff is accomplished by propellers located on its arms. The drone autonomously adjusts the positioning of its wings to minimize air resistance. When moving in the same direction as the wind, the wings move to capture the airflow, essentially acting as sails. During forward flight, the drone reorients its body horizontally and aligns its wings parallel to the ground to generate lift. The wings can move asymmetrically in order to counterbalance wind resistance that is not centralised. Prototypes have proven able to hover amidst wind speeds up to 9 m/s. This adaptive wing system significantly enhances energy efficiency. On the ground, the drone sits vertically standing on vertically positioned wings, resembling a 4-legged tripod.

Applications
Morpho has the potential for use to inspect installations such as power lines, power plants, wind turbines, and offshore oil platforms that are expensive/complicated to inspect manually. Its adaptable wing system enables it to perform close inspections of these objects.