There is a move in the UAV or unmanned aerial vehicle sciences to make smaller and smaller flying units. Now we have MAVs, Micro-autonomous or Micro Air Vehicles, which are 1-foot or less wingspan and may or may not look like a bird and be about that size. Next the scientists are working to build very tiny insect or hummingbird size units which can fly thru windows, between buildings, under tree canopies or even into sewer tunnels, just like an insect. There are problems when making these technologies very small, as many of the materials needed are cutting edge technologies and so are the sensors that are small enough. Sensors which will need to see walls, obstacles and sense the terrain below to keep them from crashing. Another issue is the need to keep them light and the power source will need to be very tiny and the total weight will be less than that of a tiny battery in a Casio wristwatch. This means the little gadget will need to buzz along with a large power to weight ratio. I propose that we launch these vehicles inside of a gun, such as a gun they use to use for flares in WWII. The vehicle will be inside of a bullet and it will wind up a spring or material memory rubber band type motor. It will have a little wheel spinning as it rushes through the air and it will either deploy from the bullet or unfold using the bullets skin as its wings. Then it can buzz along for a while with the built up power and then a material memory polymer flapping wing spar will be trickle charging energy to a battery type system which the frame and wings will be made out of. Think on this concept. |
