Air Force looks to improve antennas for micro air vehicles

  • Published
  • By Maria Callier
  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research Public Affairs
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFPN) --  Air Force Office of Scientific Research officials here currently are funding a professor from the University of Minnesota who is using objective structures in his project called "GameChanger" in an attempt to make new kinds of antennas for micro air vehicles to be used for military purposes.

Micro air vehicles, or MAVs, are a type of remotely controlled unmanned aerial vehicles.
Dr. Richard James said the challenge of the project is that the small size of MAVs prohibits standard solutions.

"We are, therefore, seeking revolutionary new materials that will enable efficient antennas for these vehicles," he said.

It centers on Dr. James' discovery of a systematic approach to nanotechnology based on the concept of objective structures -- atoms with identical molecules existing in the same atomic environment.

Using these structures, Dr. James designs new materials that look like carbon nanotubes using innovative and powerful mathematical tools.

"These are the natural structures to search for special physical properties like ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity," he said. "If one atom wants to have unpaired spins, that is, to be magnetic, all of the atoms will want to be magnetic because of the way objective structures are built."

Dr. James and his students develop theories to understand the behavior of materials, and they then take theoretical predictions to the lab to make the materials.

"As you can imagine, it can be incredibly exciting when we actually discover a new material with some unexpected properties, or deeply humbling when we realize we have left an important factor out of the theory," he said.

Through support of research projects such as the one led by Dr. James, AFOSR officials continue to expand the horizon of scientific knowledge through its leadership and management of the Air Force's basic research program.

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