SBIR/STTR Research Award
Micro Air Vehicle Tether Recovery Apparatus (MAVTRAP)
Award amount
$99,104Program and phase
STTR · Phase IAward year
2009Award details
- Awarding agency
- Department of Defense
- Branch
- Air Force
- Recipient company
- INNOVATIVE AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
- Proposal award date
- 2008-08-01
- Contract end date
- 2009-05-01
- UEI
- DZGUPKLWN9E3
- Solicitation number
- 2008.A
- Topic code
- AF08-T014
Research abstract
The micro-air vehicle tether recovery apparatus (MAVTRAP) is a combination of a tether, and apparatus to attract and capture a micro-air vehicle (MAV). The MAV is attracted to the end of the tether via a signal transmitting the GPS location, altitude and trajectory information. Once closing in on the trap the MAV makes its final approach via vision based detection and targeting. The MAVTRAP is composed of a parachute type device and small streamers or a small net that ensnares the MAV. We have found that the propeller of an MAV will snag a streamer and wind it on the propeller hub. This is the preferred method to capture the MAV since the control surfaces of the MAV are free to continue to guide the vehicle. The thrust of the propeller is thus replaced by the pull of the streamer.
Technology keywords
Not reported
Other awards by this recipient
Verified by the same UEI. These are other public SBIR/STTR award pages, not a merged company record.
- CoopAEye: A low-cost artificial intelligence enabled camera system for complete commercial poultry house coverage
- Micro Air Vehicle Tether Recovery Apparatus (MAVTRAP)
Awards with the same topic code
Verified by an exact topic code match. This is not a text-similarity match.
Research funding history
3 SBIR/STTR records share this UEI (2009–2025). Reported award amounts total $1,023,013. Reported amounts are not federal obligations.
Phases: Phase I, Phase II
Agencies: Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture