Micro aerial vehicles are small unmanned aerial vehicles, currently under development for military use. They could also have applications in entertainment, security, and logistics. They operate on the same principles of flight as birds or insects and could potentially be used for combat.
A micro aerial vehicle is a remotely controlled unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is significantly smaller than typical UAVs. For example, the Predator drone, considered a standard UAV as of 2008, is approximately 8.22 m (27 ft) long. Micro air vehicles are much smaller, up to a foot or so in diameter, but preferably smaller, 6 inches in diameter or less. Microvehicles promise to revolutionize warfare, and many operate on the same general principles of flight as birds or insects, being of similar size.
Microvehicles are currently under development – there are really no microvehicles that are deployed on the battlefield and used on a regular basis, with the exception of some small reconnaissance aircraft. Most people who work on microvehicles do it for the military, usually the US military. The goal is to create craft less than fifteen inches in diameter that can hover, navigate tight urban environments, and have the ability to roost, all while sending data to a ground crew. This would be invaluable for military operations, where up-to-date reconnaissance information can be a matter of life and death.
While not talked about all that frequently, micro-aircraft, when actually developed enough to actually be deployed, can also be used for combat. This use would be similar to the SWORDS tracked robotic system which can be fitted with a machine gun and instructed to fire on enemy combatants. Microvehicles mounted with a small gun or dart system would be even deadlier, as they would be smaller, less conspicuous and, let’s not forget, have the ability to fly.
Outside the military, aerial microvehicles could have applications in entertainment, security, and logistics. Imagine an array of 5,000 micro air vehicles, each equipped with bright lights, soaring through the sky and dancing in a complex pattern. Such a spectacle might even eclipse the ancient awe of fireworks. In security, the applications would be similar to military ones: surveillance. There may be ethically thorny issues regarding the use of automated robots used to kill intruders. The US military has stated that it always plans to keep a human in the know when it comes to making decisions about killing other humans.
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