MagPerch: A Magnetically Locked, Lightweight Perching Mechanism for Micro-Aerial-Vehicles

Micro-Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) are essential for monitoring remote and hazardous environments, but their limited battery life restricts their operational duration. To address this, we introduce MagPerch, a lightweight passively actuated perching mechanism that enables MAVs to perch on natural and artificial surfaces without additional power consumption. Inspired by eagle grasping mechanisms, MagPerch features bistable fingers with soft silicone pads and a magnetic locking system, allowing MAVs to land and stabilize on cylindrical structures up to 30 mm in diameter. Our design prioritizes the energy efficiency of surveillance, reducing the reliance on continuous propulsion and extending video streaming time by a factor of 7.29x. Experimental validation demonstrates that MagPerch withstands winds up to 60 km/h, provides a stable perch under varying conditions, and supports payloads up to 2.71 N. With a total weight of 13.5 grams, MagPerch achieves a high payload-to-weight ratio while maintaining modular adaptability for different MAV platforms. By integrating aerial mobility with stationary observation, MagPerch enhances long-duration monitoring capabilities for environmental research, disaster response, and surveillance applications.