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(Image source: Harvard University)
BY JASMINE BAILEY
Researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering have constructed what they believe is the
smallest flying robot ever. It's called RoboBee.
It doesn't exactly look like a bee, but it is similar in size. And those tiny wings are
moving pretty fast — 120 flaps a second. (Via Harvard University)
It took engineers more than 10 years to construct RoboBee. With the techno insect just barely
the size of a penny, engineers had to build every wing, nut, bolt and microchip from scratch.
(Via CBS)
As of now, it still has to stay attached to a power source in order to fly around. But
researchers are working on developing a self-contained 'brain' and battery pack. (Via Harvard University)
Aren't there enough real bugs buzzing around? Why construct a robotic one?
There's still a lot of work to do on RoboBee, but it can already take off, hover and change
direction. "Potential future uses include search and rescue, surveillance, and environmental
monitoring applications - and even taking the place of real bees to pollinate crops."
(Via Daily Mail)
That would require lots of RoboBees — way more than there are right now. In the past
6 months engineers have only built 20.