Autonomous DelFly Explorer drone

From Amazon’s delivery drone service announcement to Google’s new robotic efforts, drones appear to be all the rage in the technological realm.

A team from the Netherlands has developed the DelFly Explorer, an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with in-flight flapping wing MAV abilities, allowing navigation of the skies. The team who conceptualized this drone consists of professors from Delft University of Technology. Its creators predict that the uses of this apparatus will span from emergency missions to capturing video footage during live performances.

Image via Delfly

The drone’s wings fly at 30 Hz. The extremely lightweight device is constructed from mylar foil, carbon, and balsawood, measuring in at a 28 centimeter wingspan and weighing 20 grams. Onboard the Delfly Explorer there is a small stereovision system that contains two cameras. It can calculate the distance between itself and any potential flight obstructions. A small embedded computer is also included to detect obstacles that may be in the UAV’s path.

There is a motor controller, an RC link, and an autopilot system that contains a barometer to monitor the height of the drone. The DelFly Explorer has gyroscopes to stabilize control. The drone can fly around for 9 minutes without being controlled; this time length is indicative of how the lithium polymer battery operates.

 Image via Delfly

The group of engineers is working on getting the DelFly Explorer to pass through windows and doors, allowing it to traverse easily between rooms. The current version of the DelFly Explorer can fly both vertically and horizontally, but in the future, the team will create a more independent robot with fewer constraints. 

Article via Delfly