Micro Air Vehicle
Micro air vehicle
(MAV) are another new advancement in the unmanned aerial vehicle
category. Insect sized MAV are being developed to be used in various roles. They could easily spy on people and objects with-out being noticed. Swarms of MAV will be able to transmit information to each other and perform complicated tasks. They can take the form of insects and birds. Future design will see the ability to recharge from the sun and other means such as vibration or power lines. They could be armed with chemicals in the fight against terrorism or drug smugglers.
The MAV could be a great defense tool
in the very near future. Technology is rapidly advancing and some things thought only possible in science fiction are now reality. Autonomous and controlled flight can and will be adapted to the MAV. Armed with chemical sniffing sensors, a swarm could quickly check out suspicious vehicles at border check points. They can maneuver into very small spaces and under objects quickly and easily.
Bee hives could be protected from dangerous wasps that take over and eliminate a beehive. Bees are needed to pollen flowers and crops for growth. In recent years bee owners have seen an increased number of wasps and other killer bees that attack the common honey bee,
The ability to be able to spy and perform long surveillance is attractive to the military. MAV's could monitor farmers fields and attack unwanted visitors.
Crowds will be monitored with out the people even realizing they are present. Some people might find the thought of a micro air vehicle spy terrifying but the technology can have many useful applications.
Schools and school yards could be patrolled
and children would not be bothered by big invasive machines. Adaptive flight technology will allow the MAV to be able to cope with winds. Using natural designs such as flapping wings. This gives the MAV the ability to quickly counter opposing wind or gusts of wind.
The light design will limit the amount of force it can handle. Sensors that track wind speed will determine safe flight levels and the MAV will land and attach it self to an object until safe to fly again. You can be sure that technology will also be developed to detect the MAV such as recording bugs are "sniffed" out in spy movies. The very small design of the micro air vehicle will make it difficult though.
The study of biological systems is aiding aerial engineers to incorporate unique flying characteristics into the MAV. Flight patterns of birds and insects are closely studied and then applied to the micro aerial vehicles. Universities around the world are continuously testing new designs and models. Another application for the modern MAV could be to find trapped people in collapsed buildings. This is always a hazard for rescuers when attempting recovery of trapped persons. The micro aerial vehicle could be sent in and not subject rescuers to unnecessary risks.
The full ability of the MAV will not be realized until nano technology can be implemented into these miniature marvels. Technology has greatly reduced the size of computers and CPU (central processing unit) processors. The near future will bring amazing abilities to the MAV. Quantum computing when fully developed will see processors a billion times faster than a Pentium lll. The possibilities will be virtually unlimited for these amazing micro machines.