A Biologically Inspired Morphing Micro Air-Land Vehicle (MMALV)

BioRobots proposes the development of a Morphing Micro Air-Land Vehicle (MMALV), capable of transforming from aerial to terrestrial locomotion, to maximize situational awareness for U.S. warfighters. Terrestrial locomotion is based upon the Mini-Whegs platform, recognized as one of the most agile micro-robots today. Aerial locomotion is based upon the University of Florida Micro Air Vehicle (UF-MAV), which has proven itself among the most efficient MAV platforms to date. The integration of these platforms will grant MMALV unprecedented locomotion and surveillance capabilities. In Phase I of this work BioRobots proved feasibility through: 1) Fabrication and flight-testing of three multi-mode mobile prototypes, each possessing improved aerial and terrestrial mobility, and 2) Production of two wing-folding MAVs for seamless air-to-ground mobility transition. Phase II will expand on this success to produce a field-ready MMALV. MMALV will be capable of flying to a target, landing, morphing its shape, crawling around a target area, performing surveillance, and relaying information to warfighters in a time critical manner. A modular sensory system will facilitate mission specialization for MMALV deployment, and a semi-autonomous control system will ease the burden of operator oversight. Foundation for commercial markets will be laid through extensive evaluations by military personnel during facsimile MMALV deployments.