In a few years, a robotic airplane may soar through the thin atmosphere of Mars, snapping images as it maneuvers effortlessly over the rusty terrain. Sarita Thakoor of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Steven Zornetzer of NASA Ames Research Center, along with colleagues at the Australian National University and the University of California at Berkeley, are refining a prototype of an autonomous micro-flyer (below) with a 34-inch wingspan. The delta-shaped plane on the micro-flyer is guided by an artificial vision system inspired by dragonflies and bees.
Eight photodiodes detect changes in light levels and pick up the horizon line, mimicking the function of a dragonfly's simple eyes. The location and angle of the horizon line contain enough information for the plane to maintain level flight. Meanwhile, three cameras send data to a microprocessor that measures speed and distance the way bees do: Objects that are close appear to move more ...
