Micro air vehicle
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The term micro air vehicle (MAV) or micro aerial vehicle refers to a new type of remotely controlled aircraft (UAV) that is significantly smaller than similar craft obtainable using state of the art technology as it was in 2007. The target dimension for MAVs today is approximately 15 centimeters (six inches) and development of insect-size aircraft is reportedly expected in the near future. Potential military use is one of the driving factors, although MAVs are also being used commercially and in scientific, police and mapping applications. Because these aircraft are often in the same size range as radio-controlled models, they are increasingly within the reach of amateurs, who are making their own MAVs for aerial robotics contests and aerial photography.
The Washington Post has referred to insect-like versions of MAVs as Robobugs.[1]
Three types of MAVs are under investigation. Airplane-like fixed wing models, bird- or insect- like ornithopter (flapping wing) models, and helicopter-like rotary wing models. An example of rotary wing MAVs is the MAVSTAR, which is a coaxial helicopter within 30cm sphere able to fly in both indoor and outdoor environments [2].
The range of Reynolds number at which they fly is similar to that of an insect or bird (103 - 105). Thus some researchers think that understanding bird flight or insect flight will be useful in designing MAVs.
In early 2008 the United States company Honeywell received FAA approval to operate its MAV, designated as gMAV in the national airspace system on an experimental basis. The gMAV is the fourth MAV to receive such approval.
The Honeywell gMAV uses ducted thrust for lift, allowing it to takeoff and land vertically and to hover. It is also capable of "high-speed" forward flight, according to the company, but no performance figures have been released. However, the company states that the machine is light enough to carried by a man. It was originally developed as part of a DARPA program, and its initial application is expected to be with the police department of Miami-Dade County, Florida.[3]
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[edit] Further reading
- (2002) in Thomas J. Mueller (Ed.): Fixed and Flapping Wing Aerodynamics for Micro Air Vehicle Applications. AIAA. ISBN 1-56347-517-0.
[edit] See also
- For early development and several historical MAVs, see Miniature UAVs, which is part of a larger article History of unmanned aerial vehicles.
- Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
- Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV)
- Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft (UCAR)
- Aeroelasticity
- Bird flight
- Entomopter
- Insect flight
- AeroVironment
[edit] References
- ^ Weiss, Rick (2007-10-11). Dragonfly or Insect Spy? Scientists at Work on Robobugs.. Washington Post.
- ^ Lin Chi Mak, et al., "Design and development of the Micro Aerial Vehicles for Search, Tracking And Reconnaissance (MAVSTAR) for MAV08", MAV08, Agra, India, Mar. 10-15, 2008, 20 pages
- ^ Honeywell Wins FAA Approval for MAV, Flying Magazine, Vol. 135., No. 5, May 2008, p. 24
[edit] External links
- University of Florida Micro Air Vehicle Laboratory - Cutting-edge MAV Research
- Miniature Aerial vehicles Research
- Micro Air Vehicles - Toward a New Dimension in Flight
- DIY Drones
- Entomopter MAV - also see Wikipedia Entomopter reference
- DelFly - a flapping model craft by a team of Delft University of Technology and Wageningen University
- Kevin D. Jones's web site - a flapping model using Wing In Ground effect at Naval Postgraduate School
- MAV07 - The 3rd US-European Competition and Workshop on Micro Air Vehicles and the 7th European Micro Air vehicle Conference and Flight Competition web site.
- MAV08 - The 1st US-Asian Demonstration and Assessment of Micro Air and Unmanned Ground Vehicle Technology.
- [1] - The ornithopter website
