Robotic insect takes off

US researchers have demonstrated a tiny robotic flying insect that could lead to a new generation of miniature drones.

The RoboBee developed at Harvard University can flap its two wafer-thin wings 120 times per second, almost faster than the human eye can see and representing a breakthrough in piezoelectric movement.

The developers say the project could lead to tiny unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for environmental monitoring, search-and-rescue operations or crop pollination, but that the materials, components and manufacturing techniques developed along the way could prove even more significant.

‘This project provides a common motivation for scientists and engineers across the university to build smaller batteries, to design more efficient control systems, and to create stronger, more lightweight materials,’ said principal investigator Prof Robert Wood, in a statement.

‘We had to develop solutions from scratch, for everything. We would get one component working, but when we moved onto the next, five new problems would arise. It was a moving target.’