Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
DelFly Micro Smallest Camera Plane
The DelFly Micro is an amazing micro air vehicle; it is the world's smallest airplane that is equipped with a camera. With a weight of just three grams, and a four-inch wingspan, the DelFly Micro is an ornithopter enthusiast's dream come true.
Take a look at the Delfly Micro video below.
(DelFly Micro video - World's smallest camera plane)
The tiny aircraft was built by a four-man research team from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The first public flight was made on May 5th.
Flapping its little wings 30 times per second, it has yet to achieve autonomous flight. The pilot uses a joystick on a remote control, steering the little plane based on the video feed from the micro air vehicle's (MAV) tiny camera.
Made of PET film (used for the wings), balsa wood and carbon, the DelFly Micro is powered by a tiny lithium polymer battery that weighs just 1 gram and generates 30 milliampere hours of power — enough to keep the insect-sized MAV flying for 3 minutes.Together with its associated transmitter, the DelFly Micro's video camera weighs only about 0.4 grams. The DC brush motor driving its flapping wings weighs 0.45 grams, the two magnetic actuators that operate its directional and elevator rudders weigh 0.5 grams, and its operating electronics 0.2 grams. Another 0.5 grams of structure brings the total weight of the DelFly Micro to 3.07 grams.
Although the DelFly Micro looks more like a dragonfly, I can't help but think of the amazing Scarab flying insect robot from Raymond Z. Gallun's The Scarab, published in Astounding Stories magazine in 1936.
The Scarab rubbed its hind legs together, as flies will do when at rest. Then, apparently satisfied that it was in condition, it unfolded the coleoptera-like plates over its wings. With a buzz that any uninformed person would have mistaken for that of a beetle, it started out on its journey.
(Read more about the scarab flying insect robot)
The Scarab was also flown by remote control; the pilot was able to see what the Scarab saw with its "minute vision tubes."
I'd also like to point out the robot tracking device mentioned in Philip K. Dick's 1960 novel Vulcan's Hammer, as well as the stick-tights from Jack Vance's 1964 novel The Star King.
Don't miss these exciting MAV developments:
- Honeywell Micro Air Vehicle Tested By Miami Police
There seem to be some difficulties with using these aircraft in U.S. air space. - Micro Air Vehicle In Use In Iraq
The MAV has performed well in urban environments as well as open field - COM-BAT Robotic 'Bat' On Order From UM
The bat-like MAV (micro air vehicle) would gather data from urban combat zones and transmit the information in real time to soldiers. - Swarming Micro Air Vehicle Networks (SMAVNET)
Their system makes use of minimum cost MAVs which rely on local communication - Small Robot Surveillance Balloons Like Niven's Copseye
A miniature robot surveillance balloon that would be capable of autonomous movement in groups.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 7/24/2008)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Surveillance ")
Amazon One Is Frank Herbert's Palm Lock
'A palm lock must be keyed to one individual's hand shape and palm lines.' - Frank Herbert, 1965.
Who Needs Dogs? Trained Bees Detect Explosives
'The directing neurological tissue that forms the basis of the swibble is alive...' - Philip K Dick, 1955.
Government In-Home Surveillance - Yes! Say Third Of Under-30 Adults
'The TV screen flicked to show a kitchen.' - Pournelle and Niven, 1981.
New Train Station Offers Minority Report-Style Signs
A whole new world awaits you, John Anderton!
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
SpaceX Wants A Moonbase Alpha
'And he had been sent with troops, supplies and bombs to command Russia's most trusted post, the Moonbase.'
Vast Apartment Living Will Get Even More Vast
'What is your population', I asked. 'About eighty millions.'
NASA Wants Self-Driving Or Remote-Controlled Vehicles For Lunar Astronauts
'THE autobus turned silently down the wide street of Hydropole. Robot-guided, insulated from noise and cold...'
Elon Musk Says Robotaxis Will Be Ready This August, 2024
'The car had no steering wheel, and no one drove!'
Moonwalkers AI-Controlled Electric Shoes
Now that's power walking that Hugo Gernsback would have approved.
Steve Jobs: 'Capture The Next Aristotle - With AI'
'It was disturbing to think of the Flatline as a construct...'
No Tips! Robotic Food Delivery In Phoenix
'...he rewired the delivery robot so that it would serve him midnight snacks.'
Electric Catamaran 'Explorer Eco 40m' Has 'Solar Skin'
'On went the electric-yacht faster and still faster.'
Orbital Mechanics, The Liftoff, The Turnover, The Retrograde Burn
'...the huge vessel had spun, with a sickening lurch, through a complete half-circle, the instant the power was reversed.'
Harvest Power From Tears And Blinking With Smart Contact Lens
'...he realized that it was not quite a clear lens. Speckles of colored brightness swirled and gathered in it.'
Europa Clipper Plate Carries A Special Message
'...a universal cryptogram — yet it is one which can be interpreted by any intelligent creature on any planet in the Solar System!'
Micro-Robots Are Smallest, Fully Functional
'With a whir, the Scarab shot from the concealing shadows of the corner where it had hidden itself.'
AI Enhances Images Your Brain Sees
'I could have sworn the psychomat showed pictures almost as sharp and detailed as reality itself'
Illustrating Classic Heinlein With AI
'Stasis, cold sleep, hibernation, hypothermia, reduced metabolism, call it what you will - the logistics-medicine research teams had found a way to stack people like cordwood and use them when needed.'
Deflector Plasma Screen For Drones ala Star Wars
'If the enemy persists in attacking or even intensifies their power, the density of the plasma in space will suddenly increase, causing it to reflect most of the incoming energy like a mirror.'
DIY Robotic Hand Made After Loss Of Fingers
'I made them... with the fine work of the watchmaker...'
