「東京機械飛龍」現身：DRAGON無人機潛行穿雲現身舞台

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在東京大學的一間實驗室裡，工程師們正在嘗試將東方神話中的神聖「龍」具象化。他們打造的「DRAGON」無人機，不僅能自由變形，還能模仿蛇在空中潛行穿梭。
In a Tokyo lab, engineers are turning the mythical Eastern dragon into a real-world flying machine. Their creation, DRAGON, is a morphing drone that slithers through the air with snake-like grace.

DRAGON，全名為「具備多自由度空中變形能力的雙旋翼嵌入式多連桿機器人」，最早於2018年問世。透過模組化的多連桿設計，它可伸縮、扭曲並穩定飛行。
First introduced in 2018, DRAGON—short for "Dual-rotor Embedded Multi-link Robot with Aerial Deformability"—features modular links and gimbaled rotors that allow it to twist, expand, and stabilize in flight.

目前版本可垂直升空、空中滑行，並穿越狹小縫隙進行空中潛行。2022年升級後，DRAGON還能進行物體搬運與機械操作，具備實用性。
The latest iteration can take off vertically, snake through tight gaps, and perform mid-air maneuvers. Since a 2022 upgrade, DRAGON has also demonstrated object manipulation capabilities.

這讓 DRAGON 成為災難救援的潛力之星。它可以從建築縫隙潛入，接近瓦斯閥門、搬運物品，進行遠距操作。
That makes DRAGON a rising star for disaster response, capable of slithering into collapsed structures to shut off gas valves or deliver tools.

不過，目前其續航時間僅約3分鐘。為解決這項限制，東京大學團隊研發新型機器人「SPIDAR」，採四足設計並具備短距飛行能力，應對更複雜地形。
However, DRAGON’s major limitation remains flight time—only about three minutes. To address this, the team developed SPIDAR, a hybrid quad-legged robot with limited flight capabilities for rugged terrain.

即便尚未進入實用階段，DRAGON 的創新設計與蜿蜒飛行的未來感，已為無人機開拓全新視野。
Though not yet field-deployed, DRAGON’s futuristic and serpentine design opens a new chapter for drone innovation.