OSU and DARPA building UAV nano planes that can fit in a pocket

A fancy new miniaturized plasma propulsion system being developed at Oklahoma State University promises some exciting new Unmanned Ariel Vehicle spy plane designs for the folks at DARPA. The engine is about the size of a cigarette, contains no moving parts, and will be build into planes as small as 6-inches long, which soldiers can carry in packs of six or so and deploy as a swarm of inquisitive Daniel Craigs. The planes should be able to manage indoors and urban areas. No word on when these will be spying on a homeland security threat near you, but the project is still in the early stages.

[Via Crave]

[John @ Jan 20th 2008 10:30AM]

build = built

[John @ Jan 20th 2008 10:31AM]

also indoors = indoor

[templar @ Jan 20th 2008 10:49AM]

Ariel = Aerial?

[Neebs @ Jan 20th 2008 11:00AM]

Filed under transportation?

[derX @ Jan 20th 2008 11:22AM]

It's a plane. Should it be filed under cell phones, instead?

[Neebs @ Jan 20th 2008 12:30PM]

Not many people are going to ride something six inches.

Well, you know what I mean.

[Jeremiah Mahoney @ Jan 20th 2008 12:32PM]

inquisitive Daniel Craigs = inquisitive Larry Craigs?

[mr friggles @ Jan 20th 2008 8:28PM]

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.

[Jeff Haynes @ Jan 20th 2008 10:31AM]

Unmanned Ariel Vehicle? Is that like a mermaid that's not getting any? What a crime...

[jeeesus @ Jan 20th 2008 10:33AM]

six inches isnt small :(

my ex said so :)

[John @ Jan 20th 2008 10:36AM]

She'd still be with you if six inches wasn't small ;)

[Joe B. @ Jan 21st 2008 12:05PM]

As Jobs would say, "Boom".

[Mike10010100 @ Jan 20th 2008 10:46AM]

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.

[Skullfighter @ Jan 20th 2008 4:46PM]

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.

[Flashpoint @ Jan 20th 2008 6:17PM]

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...

[STUD HUNK @ Jan 20th 2008 11:00AM]

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....

[bossfn @ Jan 20th 2008 11:02AM]

..and cleverly disguised as a crack pipe -- genius.

[MikeG @ Jan 20th 2008 11:29AM]

lol.

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Jan 20th 2008 1:55PM]

Looks more like a feminine hygiene product . . .

[Error404 @ Jan 20th 2008 11:12AM]

They should totally partner up with Wowee.

[dvdivx @ Jan 20th 2008 11:12AM]

Problem isn't the engines. They can make props that are even smaller. It's the battery/energy source that's the hard part.

[miron @ Jan 20th 2008 6:25PM]

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.

[Major Scarlet @ Jan 20th 2008 11:19AM]

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.

[fischju @ Jan 20th 2008 11:40AM]

I think they would be very useful in CCS or a Rainbow 6 game , just saying.

[Taylor @ Jan 20th 2008 4:06PM]

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

[anthony @ Jan 20th 2008 11:25AM]

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?!

[Gaspode @ Jan 20th 2008 11:34AM]

You mean like in Deep Space probes?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_drive#Missions

[Gaspode @ Jan 20th 2008 11:37AM]

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

[Flashpoint @ Jan 20th 2008 11:59AM]

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.

[Taylor @ Jan 20th 2008 4:07PM]

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

[Chris @ Jan 20th 2008 11:35AM]

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.

[Gaspode @ Jan 20th 2008 11:40AM]

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

[Chris @ Jan 20th 2008 11:43AM]

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.

[Dan @ Jan 20th 2008 11:56AM]

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.

[Flashpoint @ Jan 20th 2008 12:01PM]

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.

[Taylor @ Jan 20th 2008 4:11PM]

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

[from_me @ Jan 20th 2008 4:37PM]

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.

[Chris @ Jan 20th 2008 12:02PM]

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.

[willyboy @ Jan 20th 2008 12:17PM]

"Daniel Craigs" That's funny! LMBO

[John @ Jan 20th 2008 12:39PM]

Who is this Ariel, and what is she doing with our miniature planes?

[Erick @ Jan 20th 2008 12:39PM]

There is only one OSU (Ohio State) and we lose championships better than no one.

[JimJam @ Jan 20th 2008 1:13PM]

Is it a plane if it a tube, doesn't it need wings?

[yuj @ Jan 20th 2008 1:23PM]

Expect these to appear in the high school girls locker room..

[OneLove @ Jan 20th 2008 9:11PM]

firefox does it for you.

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Jan 20th 2008 1:58PM]

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."

[Fraggle.Rock @ Jan 20th 2008 2:01PM]

Unmanned Ariel Vehicle???????


Lets try that again, how about Unmanned Aerial Vehicle...

Seems like everyone else is on the bandwagon with me :-)

[snazz @ Jan 20th 2008 2:19PM]

Our military is just getting scarier and scarier...

[Dan @ Jan 20th 2008 3:36PM]

I would expect this kind of shoddy spelling from The Sun, but not Engadget.

[Flashpoint @ Jan 20th 2008 6:12PM]

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.

[ED @ Jan 20th 2008 5:42PM]

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.