Dutch students build robot insect
23 Nov 2007
Students at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) have built a flying robotic insect.
The Delfly (click to enlarge)
Also known as a micro aerial vehicle (MAV), it is not only able to hover, but can also fly more intricate manoeuvres than any fixed-wing aircraft and even helicopters. Called the Delfly, this impressive application of technology has cameras on board to send video to an observation post during flight. “If one of its wings hits a wall, it backs up a bit,” explains one of its builders to a breakfast TV audience. “In a helicopter, your rotors would break and the aircraft would fall to the ground.”
The latest Delfly is the size of a model aeroplane. The idea is not to build bigger, but to build smaller, and so the next step is to reduce the form factor to 12 cm. And the builders are hoping to go even smaller than that in the future. With improvements in hardware and software, there are also plans for versions that can navigate by themselves.
But what use is it? The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering sees all sorts of practical applications for the MAV, including search operations inside collapsed buildings following earthquakes. The MAV can penetrate buildings by flying through small holes a gaps, and can then transmit images to rescuers on the ground.
The makers of the Delfly are also well aware of the potential military and espionage applications, but are steering clear of these. However, they are wary that their faculty will lose its technological advantage if the military invest enormous amounts in MAVs designed for warfare. The US army recently pumped eight million dollars of research funding into a spy plane with flapping wings.
All efforts by humans to fly with flapping wings have up to now failed, because no one has ever been able to match the subtlety of the wing beats of birds and insects. But thanks to computer simulation, this is now possible and the students at Delft were therefore able to build their robot insect. The progress of Delfly can be followed on the project’s website at www.delfly.nl.
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