The Micro Flying Robot is the world’s smallest and lightest robot

Robot

A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...

 helicopter prototype, which was developed by Seiko Epson

Seiko Epson

, commonly known as Epson, is a Japanese technology company and one of the world's largest manufacturers of computer printers, information and imaging related equipment...

 and demonstrated at the International Robot Exhibition

International Robot Exhibition

The International Robot Exhibition is the largest robot trade fair in the world. It is an event that has been staged once every two years in Tokyo, Japan since 1973 and is organized by the Japan Robot Association and the company Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd...

 in Tokyo in Nov 2003. The purpose of its development was to demonstrate its micro-mechatronics

Mechatronics

Mechatronics is the combination of mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, computer engineering, software engineering, control engineering, and systems design engineering in order to design, and manufacture useful products. Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary field of engineering, that is...

 technology and to explore the possible use of micro robots and the development of component technology applications.

Features and capabilities

The µFR is levitated by contra-rotating

Contra-rotating

Contra-rotating, also referred to as coaxial contra-rotating, is a technique whereby parts of a mechanism rotate in opposite directions about a common axis, usually to minimise the effect of torque. Examples include some aircraft propellers, resulting in the maximum power of a single piston or...

 propellers powered by four 7x2x1-mm ultrasonic motor

Ultrasonic motor

An ultrasonic motor is a type of electric motor powered by the ultrasonic vibration of a component, the stator, placedagainst another component, the rotor or slider depending on the scheme of operation...

s (originally developed for wristwatches) and is balanced in mid-air by means of a stabilizing mechanism that uses a linear actuator

Linear actuator

A linear actuator is an actuator that creates linear motion .Mechanical and hydraulic actuation are the most common methods of achieving the linear motion...

. Though the µFR is radio-controlled, it relies on power from an external battery via a power cable and thus its flying range is limited. The µFR includes two microprocessors, a bluetooth

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...

 module, a gyro-sensor, an accelerometer

Accelerometer

An accelerometer is a device that measures proper acceleration, also called the four-acceleration. This is not necessarily the same as the coordinate acceleration , but is rather the type of acceleration associated with the phenomenon of weight experienced by a test mass that resides in the frame...

 and an image sensor.

Development of µFR-II

The µFR-II is the enhanced version of the µFR. It was developed in 2004 for full wireless operation paired with independent flight capability. The main challenge was the need to combine lighter weight with greater dynamic lift. Epson made the robot lighter by developing a new gyro-sensor that is one-fifth the weight of its predecessor. Dynamic lift was boosted 30% by the introduction of more powerful ultra-thin ultrasonic motors and newly designed, optimally shaped main rotors. The µFR-II includes two 32-bit RISC microcontrollers, an on-board lithium polymer battery, as well as an image sensor that can capture and transmit images via Bluetooth wireless connection. At the moment it has a flight time of just 3 minutes.

Specifications

	µFR	µFR-II
Power	3.5 V	4.2 V
Power Consumption	3 W	3.5 W
Diameter	130 mm	136 mm
Height	70 mm	85 mm
Weight	8.9 g	12.3 g
Levitation Power	13 g/f	17 g/f

Possible Applications.

· Security and Surveillance

· Disaster Rescue

· Space Exploration

External links

• µFR Epson News Release in Nov 2003
• µFR-II Epson News Release in Aug 2004
• Micro Flying Robotics in Space Missions NASA Article
• BBC News article on the µFR-II