VIELE EXPLORATORY SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS LLC — Department of Defense STTR Phase I: AF21A-TCSO1

Description

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) have received much attention recently both in the area of civil and military applications. Most current designs of UASs either use a fixed wing approach or rotor lift configuration such as a quadcopter. However, these configurations are limited in terms of maneuverability and flight time severely placing restrictions on their applications and military uses. For example, missions envisioned for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) in urban environments require exceptional agility and involve flight through or in close proximity to buildings and require agile maneuvers with small turning radius. To meet these challenges, researchers have long been attracted by the amazing attributes of birds and insects. However, adequate control of flexible wing small UASs is required (and critical) in the performance of the mission requirements. In addition, flight time is severely limited for small UASs due to current battery technology. Moreover, recognizing that a successful small UAS will have to cope with uncertainties in its flight environment, the system must have an ability to adapt. In fact, with the observed real-world kinematics as a starting point, the system will literally have to learn to fly. To meet these needs, we propose to develop a new and revolutionary type of small UAS with intelligent control, highly agile, with nearly unlimited flight time able to operate in extreme conditions including heat and arctic cold, and highly contested environments with superior survivability. A final demonstration of the system is proposed in an urban winter setting that is highly congested in day and night and severe weather environments. The overall technology objective is to develop a UAS able to operate in highly congested/cluttered urban environments with nearly unlimited flight time under fully autonomous operations. The concept uses a flexible flapping-wing design along with a new type of navigation sensor, providing accurate navigation estimates in GPS-denied environments. In addition, the UAS is integrated with a revolutionary flight control system that is extremely robust and efficient, relying solely on system measurements. The control law is ideal for developing the required maneuverability for operations in urban and highly congested environments. Energy harvesting concepts are used to provide a system with almost unlimited flight time for increased mission effectiveness and outcomes.