Subscription Center
Jul 23, 2008 | 5
Researchers at Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands today unveiled a small, remote-controlled aircraft weighing just 0.11 ounces (three grams) and with a four-inch (10-centimeter) wingspan--just large enough to accommodate an onboard camera.
The DelFly "micro air vehicle," which flaps its wings and looks like a dragonfly, can fly for about three minutes at a speed of 16.4 feet (five meters) per second. The team hopes the DelFly Micro--Delft's third-generation robot flyer (after the 0.81-ounce (23-gram) DelFly I in 2005 and the 0.56-ounce (16-gram) DelFly II a year later) will capture images from nooks and crannies that bigger cameras cannot reach. The DelFly II's camera transmits TV-quality images, allowing it to be operated from a computer using a joystick and giving the person controlling the mechanical insect the feeling of being inside the cockpit of a miniature aircraft. The researchers are hoping to further develop the DelFly Micro's camera so that it can be used the same way. They are also working to give the DelFly Micro the ability to hover (like a hummingbird) and fly backwards (the DelFly II can do both).
See what we're tweeting about
notscientific What's the cleanest room in town? It's in the lab. By @I_EVA1 http://t.co/yHTLn8bCsM #scilogs
johnrplatt People, seriously, stop trying to ride or jump on manatees! http://t.co/LzsgHf7aX0
Myrmecos A Brief History of Mental Illness In Art http://t.co/LCLnaumQnc via @sciam
Deadline: Jul 25 2013
Reward: Varies
This challenge provides an opportunity for Solvers to build a web-based or mobile “app” to explore data relationships in scholarly conte
Deadline: Jun 29 2013
Reward: $7,000 USD
The Seeker for this Challenge desires proposals for chemical methods that could rapidly degrade a dilute aqueous solution
Powered By: 
YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.
