Microelectromechanical flying robots - state of the art

Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) are miniature airplanes constructed from state-of-the-art materials, designed to be small, light, and highly resilient. Current applications include surveillance, reconnaissance, and munitions. Many of the planes, because of their size, have unconventional designs with respect to the wings and control surfaces. Instability introduced by the small non-traditional aircraft designs must be addressed, to eliminate the need for an expert pilot for aircraft control and navigation. In this paper we present a state-of-the-art technology development focused on the technologies and components required to enable flight at small scales, including flight control, power and propulsion, navigation, multi-purpose structures, advanced communications and information systems, Micro-electro-mechanical Systems (MEMS), advanced sensors, and lightweight, efficient high-density power sources