Adaptive Shield Mechanism for UAVs Ensuring Reliable Structural Performance During Thermal Monitoring of Heritage Sites

This work introduces an enhanced reconfigurable shielding mechanism for a novel drone, especially for cultural heritage monitoring, with a particular focus on thermal inspection of heritage buildings using an onboard thermal camera. The proposed mechanism allows for geometric transformation into compliant landing supports during landing operations and reconfiguration into a compact protective enclosure during flight. Experimental investigations identified misalignment problems in which the shield segments did not consistently return to their fully closed configuration. To overcome this limitation, a magnetic locking mechanism was developed by embedding permanent magnetic elements into designated structural sections, thereby ensuring accurate alignment and reliable mechanical locking in flight mode. To ensure reliable performance, the magnetic locking mechanism must provide adequate attractive force to withstand both vibrational disturbances and aerodynamic loads during dynamic flight conditions. Experimental validation confirms that the proposed design achieves substantial improvements in alignment accuracy and mechanical reliability relative to the baseline configuration. Furthermore, the redesigned structure establishes a protective zone around the propellers, thereby enhancing operational safety in confined cultural heritage environments. The magnetic-locking reconfigurable UAV protection system is effective at dealing with the problem of segment misalignment, providing greater resistance to the structure, and protecting the propulsion units during the flight. The experimental results prove that the system provides greater mechanical efficiency and reliability to ensure accurate acquisition of status data for a heritage site.