A Dragonfly On Mars?
The ExoFly has been called a 'dragonfly on steroids'. This tiny MAV, or Micro Air Vehicle has been developed by the University of Utrecht, Holland, is likely to prove very useful in planetary exploration.
The small robot, which weighs hardly anything - not even an ounce - and has a wingpan of only a foot, uses a flying mechanism similar to that of the dragonfly and looks like a large dragonfly. It hovers, its wings flap, and it takes off fast. These abilities will enable the ExoFly to explore areas that are difficult to access, such as nooks and crevices. It may even be
used on Mars, although its flapping wings will have to fly faster than they do presently to cut through the planet’s thin atmosphere. It may also be used on Titan, with its dense, stormy atmosphere. The robot may guide a rover through the hard volcanic terrains of Mars or hover over Titan as it flies easily through its thick, orange haze.
Equipped with a tiny camera, the ExoFly may send close-up images of the planet's environments back to the rover so that it can view the way ahead.
Based on the DelFly series, three airobots designed by the University of Technology in Delft and the University of Wageningen in Holland, the ExoFly has many of its features - the dragonfly mechanism and the tiny camera, for example. The three DelFlies amazed scientists with their ability to send TV-quality images and their flying ability. Both the DelFly and the ExoFly can fly for a long time with batteries - the ExoFly flies for 12 minutes. They can both send images back to earth or a rover and be navigated by remote control with a joystick. However, as there is a 20 minute communication time between earth and Mars, the Exofly will be improved so that it can fly autonomously.
Similarity To The Scarab
These flying robots remind many of the tiny flying insect device in Raymond Z. Gallun's The Scarab,
published in “Astounding Stories” magazine in 1936. This had microphones in its ears and minute vision tubes. It was also operated by remote control. The pilot of the Scarab would sometimes use it to have battles with small insects – the ExoFly and DelFlies will definitely not be put to this purpose!