The DARPA Nano Air Vehicle Program

Abstract

In October 2005 the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) launched the Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) program with the objective of developing and demonstrating small (<10 cm wingspan), lightweight (<10 grams) air vehicle systems with the potential to perform challenging indoor and outdoor military missions. 1 The program was executed in two phases. The initial 18-month phase included four contractors-AeroVironment Inc., Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories, and MicroPropulsion Corp.-each creating a preliminary design of its NAV system through a combination of analysis, component testing, trade studies, and concept development.Technologies developed in Phase 1 included rotating and flapping wings for lift generation and vehicle control, algorithms for stability and control using video images, and analytical tools for low Reynolds number aircraft. In Phase 2 AeroVironment was selected to continue the development begun in Phase 1. Phase 2 concluded with a hummingbird-inspired prototype aircraft with two flapping wings that for the first time demonstrated precision hovering and fast forward flight using only the flapping wings for propulsion and control. This paper will describe the initial program goals, outline the technological challenges addressed, briefly describe the individual NAV projects and related technology programs, and provide insight into technical areas still in need of further development. I. NAV Program Motivation and GoalsThe military forces of the United States and its allies have an ever-present need for improved intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). Detailed ISR on the ground and in urban environments is a particular highvalue challenge that can be viewed as a gap in current ISR capabilities. Warfighters currently lack a technology that can be readily and flexibly deployed as a mobile sensing system within buildings, around corners, over walls, and in other denied areas prior to entry. Appropriately instrumented nano air vehicles (NAVs), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) approximately the size of large flying insects or small birds, could provide such mobile sensing capability, as well as persistent sensing through the delivery of small sensor packages. NAVs would expand and complement the current capabilities provided by ground (wheeled and tracked) robots and thrown sensors, because these devices are generally limited in mobility and perspective inside buildings and can be considerably larger and heavier than a NAV-sized aircraft.

Comparative Study of Wing’s Motion Patterns on Various Types of Insects on Resemblant Flight Stages

“…The definition employed in DARPA's program limits these craft to a size less than 15 cm (about 6 inches) in length, width or height, with no restrictions on its design or conception and a maximum total weight would be less than 100 gram 3 . In October 2005, DARPA launched a Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) program with the objective of developing and demonstrating small (<10 cm wingspan), lightweight (<10 gram) air vehicles systems with the potential to perform challenging indoor and outdoor missions 4 . The physiological and biomechanical basis of flapping flight have been explored on the birds flights, firstly by Giovanni Alphonso Borelli in the year of 1680 5 and since the final of XIX Century, by Otto Lilienthal 6 and also by Étienne Jules Marey 7,8,9,10 in more consistent studies; Marey also developed studies about the insects flapping flights 9,11 , and was the first to notice a complex wing motion pattern on its trajectory during the flight (a horizontal 8 shape).…”

Micro- and Nano-Air Vehicles: State of the Art

“…In addition to the MAV-project, DARPA started another program called nano air vehicles, which focus on the aim "to develop and demonstrate an extremely small (less than 15 cm), ultralightweight (less than 20 g) air vehicle system with the potential to perform indoor and outdoor military missions." [7].…”

“…important role in the manufacturing and development of AVS. Examples here are DARPA [7] from USA, Prox Dynamics [2,17] from Norway, and Syma from USA.…”

Nature Inspired Flying Vehicles and Future Challenges in Aerospace

“…The flapping NAVs are being designed and configurations as light as less than 2 grams in weight are being actively pursued [21]. Due to limited availability of hardware to support such innovative designs, hardly any product has on-board camera for live video [22]. Most of the products are classified and media reports have been there for long with pictures like Figure 9 showing nano robots in DNA and blood sample collection missions [7].…”