The Robobee, as it is called, weighs about 80 milligrams and has a wingspan of three centimeters. Engineers School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University have developed this tiny insect robot RoboBee part of the project.
This project aims to develop technologies that can open the advances in robotics, nanoscience and
microfabrication. One goal of the project is to create smaller power sources or batteries, as well as a design of efficient control.
microfabrication. One goal of the project is to create smaller power sources or batteries, as well as a design of efficient control.
The Robobee is capable of controlled flight. You can fly around an area and move laterally in any direction. It is inspired by the biological structure of the fly. It has two very fine wings. The wings beat 120 times per second, making them invisible to the human eye during kicking. Another aspect of Robobee is the component materials: lightweight carbon fiber, plastic and ceramics.
The project is still in its early stages, but engineers are now investigating further developments, so that the technology allows small insects robot to move autonomously.
With the combination of biology, engineering design, materials engineering, and information technology, the Robobee can be used in the future for various applications such as search and rescue, environmental monitoring, and even be used in the pollination of crops. It can also lead to the development of other tiny robots that can be used in other fields such as medicine and exploration.
The flight Robobee
The demonstration of the first controlled flight of an insect tiny robot is the culmination of over a decade of work, led by researchers from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard.
The little robot flaps its wings ceramic piezoelectric actuators that expand and contract when they applied an electric field. Plastic hinges embedded within the carbon fiber body, serve as joints, and delicately balanced system control commands rotational movements to the robot wings. Each wing is independently controlled in real time.
A small scales, small changes in air flow can have a huge effect on flight dynamics and control system you have to react much faster to stay stable.
The prototypes are still tied by a very thin wire because there is still power energy storage solutions that are small enough to be mounted on the robot's body (which weighs just 80 mg). They should develop fuel cells with high energy density before RoboBee can fly with greater independence.
The remote control is also connected from a separate computer. It is working on a computationally more efficient brain, and then mount it in the body of the robot.
Flies perform some of the most breathtaking stunts of nature using very small brains, and yet its capabilities go beyond what can make this robot. Scientists seek to better understand the biology of the fly to perfect.
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