Micro air vehicle
Man-portable miniature UAVs for low-altitude close-in support.
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A micro air vehicle (MAV) is a small, portable unmanned aircraft designed for low-altitude, close-range missions. Modern MAVs can be as tiny as 5 centimeters. Research and development efforts come from commercial, academic, government, and military groups, with insect-sized models anticipated in the future.
These small craft enable remote observation of dangerous or hard-to-reach areas. Hobbyists also build MAVs for aerial robotics competitions and photography. Many MAVs are capable of autonomous flight.
Practical implementations
Practical examples include the DelFly Micro, a 10-centimeter, 3-gram ornithopter with a camera developed by TU Delft in 2008. It is slightly larger and noisier than the dragonfly it mimics. The camera allows remote control when the craft is out of sight, though it has not been successfully tested outdoors.
Researchers note that mimicking insect capabilities—such as low energy use and multiple sensors—will take decades, and battery weight remains a major challenge. The DelFly Micro’s lithium-ion battery makes up a third of its weight. Potential uses include searching for earthquake victims in rubble or exploring radioactive buildings, with military and spy agencies also interested.
Harvard University’s Robert Wood created an even smaller 3-centimeter ornithopter, but it is not autonomous and receives power through a wire. Controlled hovering was achieved in 2013, and takeoffs and landings from overhangs in 2016, both within a motion-tracking environment.
The T-Hawk MAV, a ducted fan VTOL micro-UAV from Honeywell, entered service in 2007. It is used by the US Army and Navy for searching for roadside bombs and inspecting targets. It was also deployed at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami to provide video and radiation readings.
In 2008, Honeywell received FAA approval to operate its gMAV experimentally in national airspace. The gMAV uses ducted thrust for vertical takeoff, landing, and hovering, and can also fly forward at high speed. It is man-portable and was developed under a DARPA program, with initial use expected by the Miami-Dade County police.
In 2010, Tamkang University in Taiwan achieved autonomous altitude control for an 8-gram, 20-centimeter flapping-wing MAV.
Quick Facts
- Smallest size
- 5 centimeters
- Delfly micro wingspan
- 10 centimeters
- Delfly micro weight
- 3 grams
- Harvard ornithopter size
- 3 centimeters
- Black hornet nano weight
- 16 grams
- Coulombfly weight
- 4.21 grams
- Coulombfly flight duration
- 1 hour
Facts from the source article.
Background
In 2008, TU Delft University in the Netherlands developed the DelFly Micro, the smallest ornithopter fitted with a camera, measuring 10 centimeters and weighing 3 grams. It was modeled on a dragonfly but was slightly larger and noisier. The camera allows remote control when the DelFly is out of sight, though this version had not yet been successfully tested outside as of its development.
Researcher David Lentink of Wageningen University stated it would take at least half a century to mimic insect capabilities, while Rick Ruijsink of TU Delft cited battery weight as the biggest problem; the lithium-ion battery in the DelFly Micro, at one gram, constitutes a third of the weight. Robert Wood at Harvard University developed an even smaller ornithopter at 3 centimeters, but it is not autonomous, receiving power through a wire. The group achieved controlled hovering flight in 2013 and landings on and takeoffs from different overhangs in 2016, both inside a motion tracking environment.
The T-Hawk MAV, a ducted fan VTOL Micro-UAV developed by Honeywell, entered service in 2007 and is used by the US Army and US Navy Explosive Ordnance Division to search for roadside bombs and inspect targets. It was deployed at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan to provide video and radioactivity readings after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. In early 2008, Honeywell received FAA approval to operate its MAV, designated as gMAV, in the national airspace on an experimental basis.
The gMAV uses ducted thrust for lift, allowing vertical takeoff and landing, hovering, and high-speed forward flight. In January 2010, Tamkang University in Taiwan realized autonomous control of flight altitude of an 8-gram, 20-centimeter wide, flapping-wing MAV, making it the first flapping-wing MAV under 10 grams that realized autonomous flight. In 2012, the British Army deployed the 16-gram Black Hornet Nano Unmanned Air Vehicle to Afghanistan to support infantry operations.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Micro air vehicle (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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