Since
July 2012, Scientists at ETH Zurich have been working
on aerial construction. Using small
drones or quadcopters to build structures that humans can then use. In this case, they made a rope bridge.
The drones must create braids, links, and knots as necessary.
Once the main portion of the bridge is completed, the quadcopters tie on the stabilizing portions, which requires additional calculations.
The quadcopters use a plastic tube to guide the rope so that
there is no risk of the ropes of getting tangled up in the rotors. The specific kind of rope used to build the bridge, Dyneema, was chosen for its good weight-to-strength ratio, meaning that the quadcopters can maneuver around with it easily while still building bridges that can support people.
