Drones come in many shapes and sizes, but for the most part their motor pods are fixed during flight. Inspired by the way birds can fold their wings, researchers from the University of Zurich and EPFL have come up with a quadcopter capable of changing motor orientation dynamically in mid-air. This allows the nominally X-shaped drone to fold itself into tight spaces, and even configure itself for optimal handling.

Flight control is handled by an advanced Snapdragon quad-core computer, while the servos that actuate the motor arms are controlled using an Arduino Nano. 

An interview about the project is available on IEEE Spectrum, while the Foldable Drone’s research paper, along with several more videos, can be found here.