Insect inspiration: UK defence drone mimics dragonfly flight

In one of the key scenes from the 2015 thriller Eye in the Sky, British spies gather vital intelligence on suspected suicide bombers by flying a tiny robot insect into the heart of a terrorist compound.

It’s a compelling illustration of a capability that, as far as we know, doesn’t yet exist. And it’s a vision that a team of UK engineers and scientists now hope to make a reality through the development of a small surveillance drone that mimics the behaviour of one of nature’s most accomplished aviators: the dragonfly.

Over the past year Oxford University spin-out Animal Dynamics has been working on the development of Skeeter, a tiny flapping winged drone specially designed for covert surveillance. Weighing no more than 30g, and designed to cost less and fly for longer than other hand-launched drones, it could, its creators claim, help reshape urban warfare.

With a DSTL-funded concept study under its belt, the firm has now been awarded additional DSTL funding, as well as support through the MoD’s recently launched Innovation Initiative, to develop a fully functioning prototype that it claims could be ready to fly within 18 months.