MAVs and Bio-inspired UAVs: Introduction

52
Kimon P. Valavanis and George J. Vachtsevanos

MAVs and Bio-inspired UAVs addresses the emerging UAV area of Micro Aerial
Vehicles (MAVs) and bio-inspired MAVs and UAVs. Research and development
activities in MAVs have accelerated significantly over the past years, driven
by a need for small autonomous vehicles that can execute a variety of tasks,
such as Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) in complex urban
environments, search and rescue operations, and security and border patrol, among
other applications. A substantial component of the MAV research is inspired by the
exceptional flying behaviors of biological species, i.e., birds and insects. MAVs can
be operated by a single person offering low weight and cost, extreme maneuvering
capabilities, and rapid response times to requests for visual observations. Innovative
MAV concepts are motivating advanced research and development sponsored by the
government and industry.
Micro Air Vehicles by R.C. Michelson addresses challenges related to the
design of MAVs. Such challenges span across aerospace, electrical, mechanical, and
computer engineering because of flight regime in which these tiny aircrafts operate.
Aerospace designers must contend with issues surrounding low Reynolds number
flight, while electrical and mechanical designers are concerned with issues of energy
storage, behavior of materials at small scales, and non-scaling items. The missions
at which MAVs excel demand increased levels of autonomy, forcing computer
engineers to create innate onboard intelligence exhibiting high bandwidth and

K.P. Valavanis ()

John Evans Professor and Chair, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Daniel
Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, University of Denver, Denver,
CO, USA
e-mail: kimon.valavanis@du.edu; kvalavan@du.edu
G.J. Vachtsevanos
Professor Emeritus, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Georgia Institute of
Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
e-mail: gjv@ece.gatech.edu

K.P. Valavanis, G.J. Vachtsevanos (eds.), Handbook of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, 1301
DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-9707-1 142,
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015
1302 K.P. Valavanis and G.J. Vachtsevanos

superior abilities to interpret obstacle-rich environments not usually encountered

by larger flying machines.
Survey of the Human-Centered Approach to Micro Air Vehicles by
S. Michelson presents a detailed overview of some of the Human Systems Inte-
gration (HSI) and Human Factors Engineering (HFE) issues involved with MAVs.
The importance of a total systems engineering approach to MAV design, how
MAVs fit into commonly accepted Human Systems Integration domains, and an
exposure of some emerging issues with MAVs that require further research are
discussed. The unique attributes of MAVs in terms of their size and control methods,
combined with the challenges of the dynamic operational environments where they
are deployed, represent HFE issues exclusive to the MAV platform that require
special consideration. The importance of designing for the human operator is
paramount for successful outcomes with MAV platforms. Specifically highlighted
are some areas where currently researched HFE issues are particularly applicable to
MAVs as opposed to large-scale systems.
Development of Insect-Sized MAVs by Sunada, Liu, Tokutake, and Kubo
describes a prototype bio-inspired flapping MAV with flexible wings, with a
specific focus on the flexible-wing aerodynamics. The flapping-wing MAV has a
weight of 2.4–3.0 g and a wingspan of 10–12 cm, which is comparable to hawk
moths and hummingbirds. The MAV’s flexible-wing aerodynamics is analyzed by
combining an in-house computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method and wind
tunnel experiments (EXP). In addition, fixed-wing and rotary-wing MAVs with
elements that enable the miniaturization of an aerial vehicle are introduced.
Flapping-Wing Propelled Micro Air Vehicles by Jones and Platzer presents
a brief history of the major discoveries in the scientific exploration of flapping-
wing flight. This is followed by a short review of the basic concepts of lift
generation on wings in low-speed, steady flight, which leads into a discussion of
the generation of thrust due to the flapping of wings. The aerodynamics of single
flapping wings in forward and hovering flight, of flapping tandem and biplane
wings, and of dual wings using the clap-and-fling effects are discussed. The chapter
concludes with an overview of the major characteristics of five representative
flapping-wing propelled MAVs developed to date, including models developed at
the AeroVironment Company, Naval Postgraduate School, Wright State University,
and Delft University.
Inventing a Biologically Inspired, Energy Efficient Micro Aerial Vehicle by
Ratti and Vachtsevanos introduces a novel framework for the design and control of
a MAV, where the conceptual design is based on biologically inspired principles
and emulates a dragonfly. The chapter addresses the design and control features of
the proposed design and gives an overview on the developmental efforts towards
the prototyping of the flyer. The potential applications for such a high endurance
vehicle are numerous, including air deployable mass surveillance in cluster and
swarm formations. The disposability of the vehicle helps in battlefield deployment
as well, where such an MAV is made available to soldiers for proximity sensing and
threat-level assessment. Other applications include search and rescue operations and
civilian law enforcement.
52 MAVs and Bio-inspired UAVs: Introduction 1303

Issues Surrounding Communications with Micro Aerial Vehicles by

C. Michelson seeks to answer many of the communications-linked questions that
MAV designers have and gives a high-level overview of the factors that affect
MAV data and control links. Challenges related to communications with MAVs are
because of their size and very limited payload capabilities. Limited payload capacity
leads to considerable constraints on power sources, sensors, and communication
systems. Power sources are by far the most weight-inefficient components on an
MAV. MAV designers are forced to look elsewhere to optimize their designs.
The best way to do so in lieu of focusing on improving battery technology is
to optimize the systems that draw power, thereby increasing endurance. Motors,
onboard processing, and communications transceivers are the largest three power
consumers on MAVs today. While motors and embedded processing are important
to optimize, the sheer number of available communications options may leave
MAV designers unsure how to proceed. By building an MAV around its onboard
communications system, designers increase reliability, endurance, and capability
with little or no added cost. Care must be taken to ensure that the end result meets
the power, aerodynamic, and electromagnetic requirements for the particular MAV
and its particular mission.
Collectively, the chapters in this section refer to all aspects of MAV design,
control, communications, operation, and applications.