Current MAV designs are based on a flexible wing design used at the University

of Florida [14]. The most common design is an airframe constructed entirely of

composite carbon fiber. The fuselage is typically a two-piece monocoque structure

designed to house flight components and instrumentation. The flight components

include servos and connectors, and some of the instrumentation used in flight includes

orientation systems. A conventional empennage is affixed to the fuselage with elevators

and rudders hinged to the horizontal and vertical stabilizers.

 The MAVs are equipped with sensors for measurement consisting of 3-axis gyros

and 3-axis accelerometers along with the servo command. The sensing and actuation

data is recorded on an on board data acquisition board which weighs 7 grams and was

developed by NASA Langley Research Center specifically for MAV applications [1].

This micro data acquisition board is capable of recording 27 analog channels which is

sufficient for the current sensor package. The data is then available at 50 to 100 Hz

and is resolved using a 12-bit analog-digital converter. The data is recorded in a 4 MB

flash chip on board the data acquisition board and is then downloaded to a PC at the

end of each flight.

 The vehicles use an electric motor for propulsion and the duration of flights

depend on the amount of batteries which can be carried and the throttle setting on

the motor. On average, flights ranging from 10-15 minutes are easily achieved for the

24 in and 12 in MAVs which are considered.

 Structures used in flight, both in biological and aircraft applications, are flexible by

a certain amount. For aircraft to be able to withstand the large forces obtained during

flight; however, the wings have to be strong enough.

 Flight of birds also consists of flexible wings which can adapt to the changing

environments they fly in. Birds have many layers of feathers which can be moved

around in order to adjust to the specific maneuver they need to perform [22]. The use

of flapping for flight, such as done by birds, has not been extensively studied. This has