RoboBee, First Flying Robotic Insect (Video of the Day: 5/3/13)

It is finally upon us, the dawn of the Age of the Robotic Insects! Robert J. Wood, principal investigator for the RoboBee project, and a graduate student of his have finally developed a tiny, flying robot that has been 12 years in the making. The problems here are how to get tiny wings to both give enough lift to raise the tiny machine off the ground, and how to control its flight. This tiny robot weighs a mere 80 milligrams and has two separately controlled wings to provide it with lift. The next step for the RoboBee is to develop a light enough battery so that it no longer has to be tethered to power, but the rig will still offer researchers insights into wing design even before that battery is developed.
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