• Name

    Insect-Sized Flying Robots, aka Nano Air Vehicles 

• What is the item

Tiny unmanned air vehicles capable of unobtrusive intrusion into just about anything. 

• What Horizon is it on

Fifth Horizon. This is a stub article.  Please make it better by adding to it!  Especially if you can substantiate the recurring rumors that these are operational or close to it.  

• Explanation of the item 

According to DARPA DSO:

"The Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) Program will develop and demonstrate an extremely small (less than 7.5 cm [3 inches]), ultra-lightweight (less than 10 grams [a third of an ounce]) air vehicle system with the potential to perform indoor and outdoor military missions.  The program will explore novel, bio-inspired, conventional and unconventional configurations to provide the warfighter with unprecedented capability for urban mission operations. 

"The NAV Program will push the limits of aerodynamic and power conversion efficiency, endurance, and maneuverability for very small air vehicle systems.  NAV platforms will be revolutionary in their ability to harness low Reynolds number physics, navigate in complex environments, and communicate over significant distances.

"Flight-enabling nano air vehicle system technologies include―

• Aerodynamic design tools to achieve high lift to drag airfoils.
• Lightweight, efficient propulsion and power subsystems.
• Guidance, navigation, and communication subsystems. 
• Advanced manufacturing and innovative subsystem packaging and configuration layout. 

"Key objectives include the development of conformal, multifunctional structural hardware and strong, light, aerodynamic lifting surfaces/rotors for efficient flight at low Reynolds number (<15,000).  The program will advance technologies that enable collision avoidance and navigation systems for use in GPS-denied indoor and outdoor environments and develop efficient methods for hovering flight and deployment or emplacement of sensors."   (1) http://www.darpa.mil/dso/thrusts/materials/multfunmat/nav/index.htm 

• Photos (if available)

This is a stub article.  Please make it better by adding to it!  Especially if you can substantiate the recurring rumors that these are operational or close to it.   

• Issues

The end of privacy.  The dawn of air attacks on individuals at a very intimate level. 

• Sources

     (1) http://www.darpa.mil/dso/thrusts/materials/multfunmat/nav/index.htm 

This is a stub article.  Please make it better by adding to it!