MAVs

MAVs, or micro air vehicles, are a class of small unmanned aerial vehicles designed for compact size, light weight, and, in many cases, autonomous operation. They typically measure tens of centimeters or less across and weigh from a few hundred grams to a couple of kilograms.

Most MAVs use rotor, fixed-wing, or flapping-wing configurations to generate lift, with propulsion and control systems scaled accordingly. As with larger UAVs, MAVs rely on a lightweight airframe, a propulsion system, power source such as batteries, onboard or offboard sensors, and a flight controller to manage attitude, navigation, and mission logic.

Autonomy is achieved through onboard sensors (gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, cameras), GPS when available, and computer vision or SLAM algorithms for position in GPS-denied environments. Operations can be remote piloted, semi-autonomous, or fully autonomous, and some research programs explore cooperative swarming where multiple MAVs share sensor data.

Applications include surveillance, search and rescue, environmental monitoring, agriculture, infrastructure inspection, disaster relief, and education and hobbyist use.

History and development have been shaped by research programs such as the DARPA Micro Air Vehicle program in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which explored miniature flapping-wing and rotary designs; since then universities and industry have produced numerous prototypes and commercial micro drones.

Challenges facing MAVs include limited endurance and payload, safety considerations for operation near people, airspace integration, privacy concerns, and sensitivity to weather. Regulatory frameworks vary by country and commonly require operator licensing or waivers for autonomous or beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights.