Draganfly Innovations News January 10, 2007
MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) is developing a system, called the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Swarm Health Management Project, to allow multiple flying craft to work together under computer control and perform surveillance and monitoring tasks, using Draganflyer VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) electric RC helicopters.
MIT’s UAV Swarm Health Management Project is focused on surveillance and monitoring of ground based objects or vehicles. The multi-vehicle testbed developed by MIT uses several Draganflyer four rotor electric RC helicopters and a computer tracking and positioning system to monitor and control multiple unmanned aerial vehicles. MIT SWARM Project Demonstration videos are available on MIT’s project website.
Draganflyer RC helicopters are unlike standard model helicopters because they use four rotor blades (one on each corner) to generate directional thrust which is used to maneuver. The use of four rotor blades makes the Draganflyer helicopter simpler and more reliable than a standard helicopter, eliminating the need for all of the mechanical linkages required for maneuvering using a conventional single main rotor. The Draganflyers used in MIT’s project are the same radio controlled helicopters used by many hobbyists, and are available from Draganfly Innovations on-line store, www.rctoys.com. The specific models used by MIT are the Draganflyer V Ti, and Draganflyer V Ti Pro.
MIT has even demonstrated the ability to land a Draganflyer on a moving object while under computer control.
MIT’s test platform is being developed by Professor Jonathan How, with graduate students Mario Valenti, Brett Bethke, Daniel Dale, Xiaojie Hu, and administrative assistant Kathryn Fischer. They are working with Boeing’s Phantom Works research unit. An MIT newsoffice article is available on their site.
Craving more info? Read our related Press Release!
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