Flight Mechanics of Reversible Attachment Landing for Micro-Aerial Vehicles with Self-Decontaminating Surfaces

In support of the DARPA Self Decontaminating Materials (SDM) Program, the following research proposal is directed at the study of small unmanned flight vehicles capable of attaching to various surfaces for the purpose of energy conservation, reconnaissance, and/or power harvesting. The proposed work seeks to identifY specialized requirements for reversible adhesives in attachment landing, analyze maneuvering requirements for MAV attachment and release, and provide enabling control strategies for these types of maneuvers. The requirements for attachment/release are dependent on several factors including functionality of the adhesive, and the type of flight vehicle. Primary focus will be reversible adhesives, including those with self-decontaminating surfaces, which require minimal contact force for attachment and also minimal external input force for detachment. Two types of small unmanned flight vehicles will be investigated in the analysis: a small rotorcraft and an insect-like flapping wing vehicle. Results are expected to reveal important design features for each type of vehicle which may better accommodate this landing strategy.