Robust MAV design and control using biomimetic principles

Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) will likely become the ISR platform of choice for urban operations because they have the advantages of being able to effectively maneuver in difficult terrain, look under vertical obscuration, etc. – all with minimal risk to human safety. While MAVs have many advantages, they do have a significant drawback: the likely loss of the vehicle due to a collision with an obstacle. MAV developers and operator are addressing this issue by: developing sophisticated obstacle detection sensors, reducing the flight velocity in cluttered environments, and limiting the flight operating envelope – unfortunately these simultaneously increase costs and dramatically reduce utility. A far better approach is to take a clue from nature; design the vehicle so that it can collide with obstacles without suffering permanent damage or loss of control. In this program Physical Sciences Inc. and the Harvard Microrobotics Lab will take insect inspired collision recovery concepts and apply them to MAV designs. This will dramatically improve the vehicle’s capability, performance and robustness. In the near future MAVs will be able to operate in highly cluttered, low visibility, dynamic environments, and do so at high speed and without the concern for the loss of the vehicle due to collisions.