Tiny MAVs for Hazard Detection Published Dec. 13, 2010 By Maria Callier Office of Scientific Research ARLINGTON, Virginia -- Air Force Research Laboraotry-sponsored researcher and Harvard University professor Dr. Robert Wood is leading the way to what could become the next phase of high-performance micro air vehicles for the Air Force. His basic research is on track to evolve into robotic, insect-scale devices for monitoring and exploring hazardous environments, such as collapsed structures, caves, and chemical spills. The suite of technologies currently being developed will likely herald the arrival of future MAVs exceeding the capabilities of existing small aircraft, and with a level of autonomy and mobility never before achieved using robotic devices on the scale of insects. Dr. Wood and his research team are trying to understand how wing design can impact performance for an insect-size, flapping-wing vehicle. Their insights will also influence how such agile devices are built, powered, and controlled. The researchers are constructing wings and moving them at high frequencies, recreating trajectories similar to those of an insect. They are also measuring multiple force components and, further, can observe fluid flow around the wings flapping at more than 100 times per second. Performing experiments at such a small scale presents significant engineering challenges beyond the study of the structure-function relationships for the wings. The researchers have addressed the engineering challenges associated with these experiments and vehicles via a unique fabrication technique they devised for creating wings, actuators, thorax, and airframe at the scale of actual insects and evaluating them in fluid conditions appropriate for their scale. The team is also performing high-speed stereoscopic motion tracking, force measurements, and flow visualization, the combination of which affords a unique perspective on the workings--both inner and outer--of these complex systems.