Flying Fish Inspired The "Flying Fish"
Yes, yet another type of UAV has been created... but this one
can't help but to pique our interest. A group of researchers from
the University of Michigan has created the first unmanned seaplane
able to perform unpiloted takeoffs and landings on water.
The aircraft is appropriately called the "Flying Fish," and is
credited with being the first unmanned seaplane that can perform
takeoffs and landings on water on its own. The Michigan team
created the seven-foot wingspan craft in the framework of a project
funded by the US Defense Advance Research Project Agency (DARPA).
The UAV is designed to work as a tool for the agency’s
"Persistent Ocean Surveillance" program.
Guy Meadows, Director of the University of Michigan
Hydrodynamics Laboratories, said he was inspired by flying fish
that soar over water. Meadows also studied sea birds in order to
design the robotic aircraft, reports online tech site
TFOT.info.
About the real flying fish, Meadows says, "They’re all
about the same size -- 20 pounds with a six-and-half foot wingspan.
Aerodynamically speaking, that’s a sweet spot to be flying
close to the water. Our plane is about the size of a large
pelican."
In order to successfully operate from a dynamic surface like
water, the craft employs novel takeoff and landing methods. The
takeoff sequence is triggered when the Flying Fish's onboard Global
Positioning System (GPS) measures when the craft has floated to a
pre-determined position... and within 33 feet of that target, the
Flying Fish is airborne.
"The plane puts the motors on at full throttle and sets the
pitch elevator enough to break out of the water. Then it counts and
pitches forward," said Ella Atkins, Associate Professor of
Aerospace Engineering and of Electrical Engineering and Computer
Science.
The aircraft will not take any measurements of its surroundings
to enable it to takeoff from the water’s surface. Researchers
say wave oscillations might confuse it, and cause the Flying Fish
to dive into the water, instead of soar to the sky.
Landing the Flying Fish also utilizes GPS, which senses
coordinates to start a shallow decent. Atkins says when Flying Fish
impacts the water, it cuts into the water like a diver because it
is equipped with pontoons instead of with a flat bottom.
In the future, developers want to add solar power panels and
more sensors to the plane.
The Flying Fish is a cooperative effort among researchers in the
University of Michigan’s departments of Naval Architecture
and Marine Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
and Aerospace Engineering.
And yes, we admit... we want one.