The basic principle of the DelFly UAV is derived from nature, with its flapping wings which are very similar to a dragonfly. DelFly Micro weighs barely 3 grams, much less than previous light-weight versions from TU Delft University of Technology.  

The DelFly Micro is a 'Micro Air Vehicle' (MAV), an exceptionally small remote-controlled aircraft, with camera and image recognition software. DelFly Micro, measuring 10 cm (wingtip-to-wingtip), is the considerably smaller successor to the two earlier successful DelFly models.

Ultra-small, remote-controlled, camera-equipped aircraft are potentially of great interest, because they could eventually be used for observation flights in difficult-to-reach or dangerous areas. DelFly is the smallest ornithopter (flapping wing flying machine) ever fitted with a camera.

The DelFly II drew huge attention in 2006 because it could fly horizontally at 21 kilometers/hour as well as hover, just like a hummingbird, and it could also fly backwards.

The DelFly Micro, incidentally, cannot do all these flying tricks just yet. The DelFly Micro, with its minuscule battery weighing just three grams with camera, can fly for approximately three minutes, and has a maximum speed of five meters per second.

Three types of MAVs are under investigation by scientists, the military, and hobbyists. There are airplane-like fixed wing models, bird- or insect-like ornithopter models, and helicopter-like rotary wing models. Each type has different advantages and disadvantages. Each scenario calls for different types of MAV.

The DelFly II 'dragonfly' has a tiny camera (about 0.5 gram) on board that transmits signals to a ground station. The on-board camera transmits TV quality images and allows the DelFly II to be operated from a computer. It can be maneuvered using a joystick, as if the operator was actually in the cockpit of the aircraft. The aim is to be able to do this with the DelFly Micro, also.

Rick Ruijsink of TU Delft says the biggest problem with the DelFly aircraft is the weight of the battery. In the Delfly Micro, the lithium-ion battery constitutes a third of the weight, at one gram. Luckily, developments in this area are going very fast. We bet the folks at Global Soken have an answer for more battery power per gram.

The goal at TU Delft University of Technology is to keep reducing the size of the DelFly, while always ensuring flying performance, and an on-board camera. Real flight-experience helps verify theoretical suppositions. It also indicates where theory should be adjusted in practice, and consequently helps the construction of smaller DelFlys.

We wonder if the DelFly Micro MAV and camera will become the paparazzi tool of choice in Bollywood? X