Flapping micro plane watches where it goes
B. Mols
C. de Wagter – Contributor
D. Lentink – Contributor
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Abstract
In a time span of only ten weeks, a team of eleven highly dedicated students have managed to design a unique flapping miniature aircraft, named DelFly. The aircraft can hover almost motionless in one spot and fly at considerable speed as well while being more stable and less vulnerable than a helicopter. DelFly, only weighing 15 to 21 grammes, carries a miniature video camera on the nose, that observes its surroundingsenabling the Delft aircraft to seek out objects based on the camera images. Last September DelFly attracted a great deal of attention in Germany during an international competition for miniature aircraft, organised by the University of Cambridge. The Delft team won US $35,000 with their unique aircraft.