The AeroVironment Nano Hummingbird or Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) is a tiny,

remote control A remote control, also known colloquially as a remote or clicker, is an consumer electronics, electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operat ...

led aircraft built to resemble and fly like a

hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the Family (biology), biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 366 species and 113 genus, genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Cen ...

, developed in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

by AeroVironment, Inc. to specifications provided by the

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Originally known as the Adva ...

(DARPA). The Hummingbird is equipped with a small video camera for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes and has a flight endurance of up to 11 minutes. It can fly outdoors, or enter a doorway to investigate indoor environments. It was announced to the public on 17 February 2011.Nano Hummingbird
. AeroVironment, Inc. 2011-02-16.AeroVironment Develops World’s First Fully Operational Life-Size Hummingbird-Like Unmanned Aircraft for DARPA
AeroVironment, Inc. 2011-02-16.

Specifications

DARPA contributed $4 million to AeroVironment since 2006
''Los Angeles Times'', 2011-02-17. to create a prototype "hummingbird-like" aircraft for the Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) program.Nano Air Vehicle
''Defense Sciences Office, DARPA''. Retrieved: 2011-02-20. The result was called the ''Nano Hummingbird'' which can fly at and move in three axes of motion. The aircraft can climb and descend vertically; fly sideways left and right; forward and backward; rotate clockwise and counter-clockwise; and hover in mid-air. The artificial hummingbird maneuvers using its flapping wings for propulsion and attitude control. It has a body shaped like a real hummingbird, a wingspan of , and a total flying weight of —less than an

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. This includes the systems required for flight: batteries, motors, and communications systems; as well as the video camera payload.

Technical goals

DARPA established flight test milestones for the Hummingbird to achieve and the finished prototype met all of them, and even exceeded some of these objectives: The device is bigger and heavier than a typical real hummingbird, but is smaller and lighter than the largest hummingbird varieties. It could be deployed to perform reconnaissance and surveillance in urban environments or on battlefields, and might perch on windowsills or power lines, or enter buildings to observe its surroundings, relaying camera views back to its operator. According to DARPA, the Nano Air Vehicle's configuration will "provide the warfighter with unprecedented capability for urban mission operations."

References

External links

Press release

Videos of the Nano Hummingbird in action

DARPA Nano Air Vehicle Program: Fact Sheet
{{AeroVironment aircraft Nano Hummingbird Surveillance 2010s United States experimental aircraft Unmanned aerial vehicles of the United States Ornithopters Micro air vehicles Hummingbirds in popular culture