First International Conference on Emerging Technologies for Micro Air Vehicles

Welcome to the home page of the First International Conference on Emerging Technologies for Micro Aerial Vehicles.

The First International Conference on Emerging Technologies for Micro Aerial Vehicles will be held in Atlanta, Georgia on February 19-20, 1997. Information [ http://spbtrc.gtri.gatech.edu/MicroVehicle/register.htm ] on registration and accomodations is now available here.

As of February 11, we still have spaces available. Call 404-894-2400 to register by phone, and specify that you are interested in this conference (since this is our Continuing Education department, and they also handle registration for the many short courses held at Georgia Tech).

For additional information, select one of the topics at the bottom of this page.

The Conference

The development of a very tiny but highly functional autonomous flying vehicle has been an unrealistic goal until relatively recently. Now seen as a natural convergence of microelectronics, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), and MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS), the concept of such vehicles has become the focus of several groups around the country because of recent technological successes in these fields. Accelerating advances in such areas as propulsion and inertial guidance have made a flying vehicle with a six-inch wingspan a likely reality in the next few years. A series of workshops and meetings at DARPA in 1995 involved early researchers in this field in the planning process, and led to the establishment of the DARPA micro Air Vehicle (microAV) Program.

Significant technical challenges abound in bringing the microAV concept to fruition. The aerodynamics of such tiny flyers may well be different from the aerodynamics of larger aircraft, and many details of propulsion, power sources, payloads, controls, and other technical issues remain unresolved. The likely missions for microAVs are still evolving, and the methods of operational deployment are completely open. The actual usefulness of microAVs remains to be demonstrated by an example.

This opening of a new realm of investigation on microAVs provides an opportune time for this Conference, a chance to gather together as many as possible of the pioneering researchers in this field and to stimulate cross-fertilization between the many technical areas of expertise that will be required for the successful development of these innovative vehicles. Dr. James McMichael, current head of the DARPA microAV Program, and Colonel Michael Francis, former head, will address the conference. If you are actively working in an area that is relevant to microAV development, we encourage you to attend.

Technical sessions will include:

• Aerodynamics and Flight Control
• Propulsion and Power Supplies
• Sensors and Operational Scenarios

Conference Organization

Copyright 1997