electrically powered, Vertical Take off and Landing (VTOL) Micro-Air Vehicle is in development at Cornerstone Research Group. This vehicle is designed with to offer unique thrust/weight characteristics, utilizing a ducted fan concept where the outer fuselage is made of multi-functional battery structure, using solid-state battery technology and carbon fiber laminate layers combined into a unique structure designed to minimize weight and maximize endurance.
The vehicle has low acoustic signature and is compact and lightweight enough to be carried in a backpack. Its propulsion system uses a pair of coaxial rotors and thrust vectoring system designed specifically for vehicles of this size, enabling the vehicle to withstand gust loads and travel in any direction with no apparent nose or tail, enabling the MAV to stop, hover and change course without rotating the body for maneuverability and camera stability.
This vehicle will be equipped with ‘insect behavior’, to autonomously navigate its surroundings and make logical decisions to avoid obstacles.
A lightweight optic flow sensor is integrated into the vehicle’s obstacle avoidance system, enabling it to rely on vision-based strategies to recognize objects and plan alternative routes, much like insect behavior. This obstacle avoidance system will be integrated into the flight control system, added with GPS/INS navigation, communication and camera-centric control. CRG are developing the vehicle to meet a specific requirement from a classified US military program which will probably support Intelligence, Surveillance ad Reconnaissance as well as precision attack and forcible response by the use optionally lethal versions of the Miniature vehicle.
