Carlo calmly sipped water from a stemmed goblet before breaking the seal. He took another agonizingly long ten seconds to examine the contents and then placed the envelope onto the podium. He smiled at the head table.
“Ladies and gentlemen, as part of a manned mission to Mars—” Robertson buried his face in his hands “—planned for a future United States NASA endeavor, I present to you a truly wonderful and revolutionary device that can operate beyond the boundaries of atmosphere. One with the ability to both fly and crawl. It is my privilege to announce that this year’s winner of the Pirelli Award for best new technology in any school, college, university, or research center worldwide is… the Entomopter drone, created by Professor Michael Robertson and his team from the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.”
The room erupted. Guests rose to their feet. Media cameras whirred as the overhead screens showed animation video of two mechanical creatures fluttering above a terrain rover that was rolling across the Martian landscape. Each creature alternatively set down on a platform on top of the rover and picked up a slender tube before flying off.
Still seated, his skin prickling with excitement, Robertson opened his eyes. He never felt Linda shaking his arm and shoulder almost violently.
News correspondents hurried forward.
Temporarily blinded by the spotlights now trained on him, Robertson’s walk to the podium felt dreamlike. Unbelievably, he had completely forgotten about his stomach. Adrenaline was apparently a great antacid.
Carlo presented Robertson with a mahogany plaque fitted with a large gold medallion. After an admiring glance, Robertson set it aside and waved to the crowd appreciatively.
The video screens now showed a field-level view from inside Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd football stadium. A pony-tailed technician stood on the midfield grass, extending one arm. The drone appeared and gently set down like some trained mechanical parrot. Bending at the knees, the man heaved it skyward like a falconer. It sailed through the air toward the end zone, passing between the goalposts. Circling back, it deftly perched sideways on one of the uprights.
The audience applause grew to a crescendo.
Robertson produced his glasses and notes. The audience sat.
“Thank you, Carlo. I want to express my appreciation to the members of the jury, the Pirelli family, our Italian hosts, my distinguished colleagues, my wife, Linda, and especially the other finalists and their respective teams who also put forth tremendous effort and resources.”
Robertson cleared his throat and motioned to the overhead screens. “Instead of a football theme, we considered flying into a soccer goal. Unfortunately, insects don’t take too kindly to nets.”
The audience chuckled.
“We scientists tend to lean toward the introverted side of the gregarious scale. People say that I fit somewhere between boring and bullheaded because I tend to make unilateral and sometimes wrong decisions. I respectfully disagree. For example, the last decision I made on behalf of my drone team was to either allow or not allow my research assistants to travel to Italy and attend tonight’s ceremony. I simply determined that most young, single men would prefer to hang out in a campus laboratory rather than cavort through wine-filled Italian taverns with beautiful women and the most gracious people in Europe. I freely admit that I may have been wrong.”
The remark drew a generous laugh.
“It is fitting that our drone is recognized in Europe. The very name ento for insect and mopter for split-wing originated here. I accept this award on behalf of Georgia Tech and my brilliant, dedicated research team. Before we get into questions, and in keeping with the tradition of this award, I would like to reaffirm my personal and professional commitment to using our drone to benefit humanity. I pray that its ultimate owner — and I certainly hope it’s NASA — will honor that same commitment. Thank you again. I’m humbled and very grateful.”
The audience stood and offered another long ovation.
Robertson had no idea that his drone would generate so much excitement or be accepted so well. For a moment, he regretted not bringing one along and perhaps even flying it over the crowd. But live demonstrations either hit home runs or left poor impressions, especially with new technologies. He had concluded it wasn’t worth the risk. He figured the world would see it up close soon enough.
It was time to begin the Q&A session. He nodded to a youthful correspondent.
“Thank you, Professor Robertson,” the reporter said. “Darren Beel from Reuters. I don’t think many of us have ever seen or heard of your Entomopter drone before. Would you mind giving us a brief rundown on its specifications, capabilities, and significance to a space project?”
“Certainly. As Mr. Burno alluded to in his remarks, it’s all about a planet’s atmosphere, or lack thereof. The Martian airspace at ground level is like Earth’s at 100,000 feet — unstable and extremely difficult to fly through, linearly speaking. Ground rovers are a first step, but they have limitations.
“The most efficient way to explore Mars is from the air. Unfortunately, a conventional fixed-winged aircraft would have to fly 250 miles per hour just to stay airborne. That makes landing, collecting samples, and mapping virtually impossible.
“On the other hand, when insect wings flap through the air, the low-pressure vortex created above the wingtips gives it tremendous lift. Our drone is a multi-mode vehicle with spring-tensioned legs, which means it can be hand-launched, fly slowly over rough terrain, and can literally cling to whatever it lands on. It can collect or deposit samples, recharge, communicate, and even download data before returning to its original launch point. As far as physical design, think of a dragonfly with antennae in two sets of wings — a dragonfly the size of a pigeon. Yes, on the left.”
“Thank you. Judy Chin, China Sun Group. Can your drone walk, and do you plan on offering it for sale in the retail market?”
“It can’t really walk, but the legs can clamp together and hold it in various positions. They can also pick up light objects. The capability is especially useful for grasping, transporting, and releasing things, like tools or rock samples, for instance.” He looked at his notes. “I’m sorry, Judy. What was your other question?”
“Can I buy one?”
“Um, sure… assuming we get to that point. I suppose NASA’s not the only one with interest, but there are patent and ownership considerations and, frankly, we haven’t worked all those out. I’d have to get back to you with a better answer. Yes, ma’am.”
“Debra Vaser, Forbes Innovation and Science. Two questions: How is your drone powered? And how much has NASA — I assume it’s NASA — appropriated for program funding, and what effect, if any, does the overall drone controversy on spying have on your project?”
Robertson paused to write. She had actually asked three questions. He couldn’t remember if the budget number was proprietary. “First of all, it’s not really a machine because there’s no stored or combustive power source. Without getting too technical, we developed a liquid propellant that flows to a muscle-chemical reciprocator, or MCR. That’s the drone’s real claim to fame. The MCR consists of two parallel shafts that, when forced by propellant and catalyst gases, push pistons in opposite directions and move both the leg and wing sets. Suffice it to say that it’s not powered by a traditional engine or motor, but rather by a chemical reaction. A reaction that not only allows the wings to flap, but also creates enough electrical energy to power a few sensors. A smartphone-like camera, for instance.
“With respect to the reaction, we combine polynitrogen, which is a hydrocarbon similar to kerosene, and a catalyst. I’m sorry I can’t be more specific about the composition; we do need to keep some trade secrets. I’m certainly not a spokesperson for NASA or the military, but I think it’s simply coincidence that the Institute for Advanced Concepts and other Pentagon agencies like DARPA have invested heavily in their own robotics programs. You really should ask them.”