OSU and DARPA building UAV nano planes that can fit in a pocket
By Paul Miller 
posted January 20th 2008 10:21AM
posted January 20th 2008 10:21AM
[Via Crave]
posted January 20th 2008 10:21AM
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build = built
also indoors = indoor
Ariel = Aerial?
Filed under transportation?
It's a plane. Should it be filed under cell phones, instead?
Not many people are going to ride something six inches.
Well, you know what I mean.
inquisitive Daniel Craigs = inquisitive Larry Craigs?
Nothing to see here people. This tech was replicated on Myth Busters. Trust me, this cheesy story is just a cover for where the money's really going.
If I had to take a guess I'd say the money is being funneled into mass-mind control projects like HAARP, which explains why most of you are docile, complacent, idiots.
Unmanned Ariel Vehicle? Is that like a mermaid that's not getting any? What a crime...
six inches isnt small :(
my ex said so :)
She'd still be with you if six inches wasn't small ;)
As Jobs would say, "Boom".
This has already been built on Mythbusters. The interior electrodes are used to ionize the air, and the other electrode is used to draw the ionized air backward and thus create thrust. It works quite well, and its portability is perfect for small UAVs.
I can see this being used in MI:4. He takes a puff from his cigarette and blows out a horde of planes from his mouth.
What bothers me is how expensive this project is when it would be so much easier to develop a small aircraft (the size of a Picco Z) with recon devices in it, that looks like a common BIRD that is native to the environment. People won't be likely to notice an object that looks like a gliding sparrow or sterling.
A little jet plane...they just might...
the problem with UAVs this small is weather. even a mild wind will probably make the UAV unflyable. UAVs indoors? maybe it has an application for sports but not for military/police.
I think they would be very useful in CCS or a Rainbow 6 game , just saying.
Well, birds make it work. Hell, dragonflys make it work, and they have a huge wing area for their small size/weight. I know/agree that weather/wind is so far a big problem, but nature has proven that it is not an unsolvable problem, and when we get better control and feedback systems for things like this, i'm sure we'll be able to overcome it. :)
-Taylor
..and cleverly disguised as a crack pipe -- genius.
lol.
Looks more like a feminine hygiene product . . .
Just think of how this hi tech will develop by the next decade or two and the ultimate potential uses.
Eventually they could be used by law enforcement, retail establishments, weather / traffic reporters etc....
They should totally partner up with Wowee.
Problem isn't the engines. They can make props that are even smaller. It's the battery/energy source that's the hard part.
Even more of a problem considering, if I'm thinking right, these engines take a lot of power to operate. More than a standard motor/prop.
Does anyone know why this tech couldn't be used on a larger scale? Say a flying car, Airplane, Space Shuttle, Flying Saucer, Intergalactic Voyager, etc?!
You mean like in Deep Space probes?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_drive#Missions
ThiI can't really say from the Blurb, but since the picture mentions Plasma, it could also be some other form of these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacecraft_propulsion#Electromagnetic_acceleration_of_reaction_mass
Gaspode
Because you'd need a very large electrical power source to keep it running. Jets use fuel to provide mechanical energy and then use generators to produce electrical energy for equiptment - similar to how a car works with its alternator.
Looks like it probably needs air to make it work, though i could be wrong. If that's the case, no space travel, obviously, and i'd imagine that for a larger scale we have more efficient methods, but again, i could be wrong on that.
-Taylor
Well it can't work in space because there is no air to provide thrust. But you could use these to reduce pressure drag and as non-moving control surfaces (replace ailerons, rudders, etc) on a full scale aircraft.
You don't necessarily need air, you just need some sort of stuff to come out. And even Ions have some mass, you just need a lot more of them, and you might not accelerate that fast...
Bye,
Gaspode
Uh, no, this device is a single barrier dielectric discharge plasma actuator. This is not an ion engine with a fuel source. Therefore you need to have a ionizible medium flowing through it, the air.
I'm agreeing that the weight of the parts is going to be tough on such a thrust system. You might want/need to drop 'em from high above. If they're manageable indoor then they don't go very fast. If they don't go very fast they need larger wingspan, etc. Maybe they attach to small helium balloon buoyed cargo. Hope to hear more about this development.
If this thing is made from NANO TECHNOLOGY it is likely that all of it will be some type of carbon fiber composite and will weigh less than a few ounces. My question is whether they can get this technology into remote controlled aircraft.
Hate to say it, but i really can't see what nano technology has to do with this... Kind of sounds like you're using it as a buzzword (inadvertently, maybe) - it sounds neat, but doesn't really make sense... You can have carbon composites without nano technology. Also, to answer your question: yes, i'm sure they can get it into remotely controlled vehicles... I know that because anything you can control without a remote could easily be made remote control, so really it's a non-issue...
-Taylor
It's not nano-tech like what you normally think of as nano-technology. Nano just means 10^(-9). Nano UAVs have a max dimension of 3 inches which means they are incredibly smaller than most aircraft. This article mentions 6 inches which is actually the max dimension of a micro UAV. I've actually worked on some stuff (aircraft, not engines) at my school that was funded by the same DARPA cash.
This device is known as a plasma actuator in university studies. They induce a small velocity due to their strong electric field and hence ionization of the air. Because their induced velocity is so low they could only be used for thrust on small devices. For use on larger aircraft they can be used to prevent seperation on compressor blades in jet engines. They can also be used on aircraft wings to induce small velocity changes close to the wing. This would manipulate the boundary layer, potentially reducing pressure drag from separation.
"Daniel Craigs" That's funny! LMBO
Who is this Ariel, and what is she doing with our miniature planes?
There is only one OSU (Ohio State) and we lose championships better than no one.
Is it a plane if it a tube, doesn't it need wings?
Expect these to appear in the high school girls locker room..
firefox does it for you.
This is why you can't trust spell-check, folks. All those words are spelled correctly, but misused. You have to PROOF-READ, Engadget.
p.s. Crap, I almost misspelled "misused." Good thing I proofed before hitting "Add Your Comments."
Unmanned Ariel Vehicle???????
Lets try that again, how about Unmanned Aerial Vehicle...
Seems like everyone else is on the bandwagon with me :-)
Our military is just getting scarier and scarier...
I would expect this kind of shoddy spelling from The Sun, but not Engadget.
This thing is designed similar to a Railgun in that it relies on charged ions in the air to act as the moving piece of a "motor".
The force is reffered to as LORENTZ FORCE and it is probably the simplest motor design that exists - no moving parts to gain propulsion.
If you had a device hooked to this that could fire it like a railgun, alternating its electrical charge with very high voltages over and over again, it would effectively become a "pulse jet" of sorts. and be capable of tremendous speed. Of course, you'd be adding plenty of weight to it. so it would only be suitable for a large spacecraft.
This same principal can also be used underwateer for submarines. Its called MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC PROPULSION (caterpillar drive "Hunt for Red October") This is already being tested in Japan but it's weaknesses in comparison to regular motors are about the same as it would be in the air type model above. You need ALOT of electricity to make it work well.
These would be really handy for offworld recon. Not only are they more portable, but they should be cheaper than the usual UAVs they send through the stargate. Wouldn't have as much range, but they would be alright for an initial sweep to make sure a larger one isn't going to be shot down instantly. Plus if they're light, you don't have to worry about crashing them so much, and retrieval is easier too.