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WASHINGTON - A mechanical fly buzzing into an enemy operations
center for surveillance may still be the stuff of science fiction,
but perhaps not for long.
Dr. Ron Polcawich and his team at
the Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi, Maryland, have developed a
pair of tiny robotic wings measuring only 3.5 centimeters in length.
The wings are made of lead zirconium titanate, a material that
conducts piezo electrical charges. The wings bend and flap when
electric current is applied.
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Dr. Ron Polcawich describes his passion for micro robotics and
"pushing the state of the art" in micro fabrications, during a tour
of his piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems lab at the Army
Research Laboratory, in Adelphi, MD on December 9, 2014. The scene
on the right is a poster in the piezoelectric microelectro
mechanical systems lab shows that the Army Research Lab's robotic
fly wings measure only 3 to 5 centimeters in length.
(Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Army photos by Todd Lopez)
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"We demonstrated that we can actually create a lift,"
Polcawich said. "So we know this structure has the potential
to fly."
Polcawich heads up the Piezo Micro-Electro
Mechanical Systems, or MEMS team, at ARL. They design motors
that measure only a millimeter in diameter.
They have
also designed sets of tiny robotic legs for a millipede that
simulate crawling when piezo electrical charges are applied.
While the legs and wings are currently functional,
Polcawich says it may take another 10 to 15 years of
research and development to actually produce
fully-functional robotic insects.
For instance,
algorithms are needed to simulate how a flying insect
stabilizes itself, he said. In a gust of wind a fly "doesn't
instantaneously stabilize itself," Polcawich said. "It will
tumble, tumble, and then stabilize itself."
Creating
this type of artificial intelligence or "cognitive ability"
will take time, he explained. A number of different systems
must be integrated in order to develop a realistic tiny
robot that functions like an insect.
Harvard
University's Ron Wood is actually further along in
developing a robotic fly, Polcawich said. But Harvard's
"Robo-Fly" is almost three times larger than the one ARL is
working to develop. And the smaller a mechanical device, the
more intricate are the aerodynamic problems.
Nevertheless, Polcawich says more collaboration with Wood
and other Piezo MEMS labs might speed up the research.
Such collaboration is the goal of a pilot program
launched this year by ARL called "Open Campus." The program
aims to cut red tape and open unclassified areas of ARL to
more academic and industry partners.
"The Open Campus
effort will hopefully streamline the creative process,"
Polcawich said. He hopes it brings additional cooperative
agreements with universities and private companies.
While micro robotics research is interesting, Polcawich said
it does not enjoy the highest level of funding. In fact, he
said it has the lowest level of funding among projects
currently being researched by his team. Many of the team's
other projects rank higher in priority.
One of those
projects involves precision MEMS gyroscopes that are
currently undergoing test and evaluation. The gyroscopes
might eventually be used to navigate missiles and combat
vehicles if GPS goes down due for any reason, Polcawich
said.
His team has undertaken a number of research
projects dealing with position, navigation and timing, known
as PNT. In some of the projects, inertial measurement units
or IMUs report a device's velocity and orientation using a
combination of gyroscopes, accelerometers and magnetometers.
"We're looking at possibly putting IMUs on
boots,"Polcawich said, for individual Soldier navigation.
"Our focus in the IMU world is really kind of figuring
out how to make things small, lightweight,
low-power-consuming; ultimately for Soldier navigation and
small-scale robotics."
His Piezo MEMS team of 10
researchers are also currently focusing on developing
components for:
- Tactical radios
- Radars
- IED defeat systems
Earlier this year, President Obama recognized Polcawich for his
last five years of research and development. The Presidential Early
Career Award for Science and Engineering was awarded to him.
Polcawich said he just enjoys being able to "push the state of the
art" in micro fabrications.
By U.S. Army Gary Sheftick
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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