It's a bird, It's a plane, It's a MAV.

[planedriver]

This is interesting.

 

http://designworldonline.magnify.net/video/Air-Force-Bugbots%3bsearch:US%20Air%20Force%20-%20MAV%27s

 

 

[Marty_d]

A lot of nice 3D imagery, but I'd like to see them come up with a real prototype. Miniaturising to insect size a MAV containing engine, flapping mechanism, flight computer, communications, battery, GPS, operational legs, and optics - not to mention chemical or explosive payload - is a bit unlikely at this point in time, isn't it??

 

Someone bought me one of those cheap contra-rotating helicopters recently, about the size of your hand, but even that only flies for about 5 minutes before the battery needs recharging.

 

 

[davebutler]

A lot of nice 3D imagery, but I'd like to see them come up with a real prototype. Miniaturising to insect size a MAV containing engine, flapping mechanism, flight computer, communications, battery, GPS, operational legs, and optics - not to mention chemical or explosive payload - is a bit unlikely at this point in time, isn't it??Someone bought me one of those cheap contra-rotating helicopters recently, about the size of your hand, but even that only flies for about 5 minutes before the battery needs recharging.

Marty I am from a generation that had dreams of men on the moon when I was in primary school, as I finished primary school Neil did his famous walk. Also later thought how cool it would be to have a communication device to carry with you and make a call from virtually anywhere, who does not have a mobile phone, iPad or similar device with cell capability today? Hell we feel like our legs have been cut off at the knees if our mobile does not work

 

Battery technology has developed so much in the past few years that the RC heli you mention would not have been possible 5 years ago. At the local RC club I frequent guys are flying 2meter models and getting 10-15 minute flights easy. Read somewhere that Cessna is developing an electric C172.

 

Yes, unlikely at the moment but watch that space, the speed at which some things happen today is very scary at times

 

 

[Marty_d]

What you say is very true. My first computer used an audio cassette drive and had 16Kb of memory. I don't think the term Gigabyte, let alone Terabyte, had actually been thought of because it would have been beyond dreaming about. Now my ebook (another pipe dream) has a million times more memory than that PC and my TV is hooked up to about 300 million times that memory. Quantum computing at the sub-molecular level is the next big step and at that stage imagination will be the only limiting factor.

 

It would be fantastic if battery technology continues to evolve as fast as it has been recently, let's face it - the weight, capacity and recharge speed of batteries is the only limiting factor in electric transportation of all types. Not to mention facilitating true off-grid sustainable energy production. And the electric motor is orders of magnitude simpler and more reliable than the infernal combustion engine. C172? I'd rather see a glider-style aircraft with a dozen small (maybe retractable) motors in the wings. Let's face it, you can flick the switch and turn them off when you don't need them.

 

 

[davebutler]

Marty, The electric C172 has flown. follow this link

 

http://www.avcom.co.za/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=80915

 

 

[Marty_d]

That's impressive. I still think you'd get far better performance from something more streamlined - the C172 isn't the least "draggy" airframe there is! - But having said that, it's a damn good achievement.

 

For example - from Wikipedia...

 

The Boeing Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane has a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell/lithium-ion battery hybrid system to power an electric motor, which is coupled to a conventional propeller. The fuel cell provides all power for the cruise phase of flight. During takeoff and climb, the flight segment that requires the most power, the system draws on lightweight lithium-ion batteries.The demonstrator aircraft is a Dimona motor glider, built by Diamond Aircraft Industries of Austria, which also carried out structural modifications to the aircraft. With a wing span of 16.3 meters (53.5 feet), the airplane will be able to cruise at approximately 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) on power from the fuel cell.