![]() An Entomopter-based Mars Flyer holds promise of not only flying slowly over the Martian landscape, but also of serving as a multimode vehicle which could land, take samples, recharge, or communicate, and then take off to continue the survey mission. In addition, the surface gravity of Mars is only 37% that of Earth, so an entomopter-based Mars Flyer would benefit by proportionately reduced weight, even at its increased size on Mars. However, the Reynolds number regime for the tiny entomopter operating in Earth’s atmosphere is equivalent to a larger version (one-meter wing span) operating in the rarefied Mars atmosphere. Nothing currently flies with any regularity at this altitude. They note that the Reynolds number for flight on Mars is equivalent to that found at over 100,000 feet (30 km) on Earth. Īn entomopter team led by Anthony Colozza of the Ohio Aerospace Institute received NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) funding to study an entomopter concept for a potential future robotic Mars missions. An entomopter, on the other hand, can achieve abnormally high lift with rapidly flapping wings (in part due to the "leading edge vortex" phenomenon), and therefore allows the fuselage to move slowly in relation to the ground. Also, the high speed flight means that dwell time on any particular area will be difficult-a negative feature that is compounded by the fact that turns in the thin atmosphere will require enormous radii. This makes landing on the rocky surface almost impossible, thereby precluding sample inspection/gathering. Aerial Mars rovers using a conventional fixed wing would have to fly at over 250 mph just to stay aloft in the rarefied Mars atmosphere. Visualization of entomopter flying on Mars (NASA)įlight in the atmosphere of Mars is difficult. This waste gas is also used for gas bearings (dry lubrication) of all moving parts as well as the circulation controlled "blowing" of the wings for stability control and navigation. The Entomopter performs obstacle avoidance and altimetry through the use of a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) acoustic transmission created from the waste gas product from fuel decomposition within the RCM. In addition, the RCM propulsion system is anaerobic, which would allow it to function without oxidizers, for example, in the carbon dioxide Mars atmosphere. Through direct conversion, the RCM also provides small amounts of electricity for onboard systems and further provides differential lift enhancement on the wings through circulation control ( Coanda effect) to achieve pitch, roll, yaw, and heave to effect steered flight. The Entomopter is propelled by a pair of flapping wings driven by a Reciprocating Chemical Muscle (RCM) which is capable of generating autonomic wing beating from a chemical energy source without an ignition source, combustion, or atmospheric oxygen. Intended use is for covert indoor reconnaissance or operation in confined human-inaccessible spaces. Mission payloads are around 10 grams with a full gross takeoff weight (GTOW) of 50 grams. This biologically inspired aerial robot is classified as a micro air vehicle (MAV) because of its size. Wing flapping occurs a 35 Hz constant rate. A twin set of wings situated fore and aft of the RCM provide balanced resonant flapping to create not only lift and thrust, but full vehicle control. The Earth-bound entomopter has a 15 to 18 cm wing span. Michelson and his design team from the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), University of Cambridge, ETS Labs and others. The terrestrial Entomopter is a multimode (flying/crawling) insect-like robot developed by Prof. ![]() 3 Funding and international recognition.
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