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Robofly
A practical application to all of the research going
into the physics of insect flight is the development of
insect-like micro-air robots.
These miniscule robots serve many practical applications.
One application of interest to the government considers using them as "a fly on the wall" to spy on important meetings of political or national security interest. Another application looks at using these tiny robots to save lives. In certain situations, like the collapse of a building, rescuers are not able to recover victims quickly enough because they are unable to locate them accurately. In fume conditions trained animals may not even be able to help...
Robofly! to the rescue!
Extensive research is going into creating a Robofly or other insect-like micro-air robot which is capable of sensing things like the Carbon Dioxide in victims breath. Ideally hundreds of these searching roboflies could be released at the site of a building collapse or other disaster where they could maneuver around debris and search out victims. Once the location of the victim is known rescuers are able to recover them without wasting time and possibly more lives.
Some people believe that there are already insect-like robots sent to spy on them, in 2003 dozens of individuals reported seeing strange machine-like dragonflies hovering above political rallies. It is a widely known fact that the military has been using robotic fliers since before the 1970s. One such robot known as "insectahopper" was designed to look like a dragonfly and required a small amount of gas.
Making a micro-robot requires more then simply making a design micro.
The laws of aerodynamics effect micro-robots like they would insects, that is to say on a different level. For insects air is truly a fluid, in some cases something they can literally swim in. This is due to their minute mass and the relatively large surface area of their wings which allows them to generate lift. These physical properties are the reason scientists believe there are more flying insects then there are birds or mammals. Insects' small size is an advantage to them, but causes a major problem for engineers because they cannot develop a machine that has as precise control of its movements.
Even with these difficulties one Harvard microbot researcher, Robert Wood, was able to develop a Robofly which has a 3inch wingspan, weighs only 60 milligrams, and is capable of sustained flight. This Robofly prototype can be seen in the image at the top of this page.
These miniscule robots serve many practical applications.
One application of interest to the government considers using them as "a fly on the wall" to spy on important meetings of political or national security interest. Another application looks at using these tiny robots to save lives. In certain situations, like the collapse of a building, rescuers are not able to recover victims quickly enough because they are unable to locate them accurately. In fume conditions trained animals may not even be able to help...
Robofly! to the rescue!
Extensive research is going into creating a Robofly or other insect-like micro-air robot which is capable of sensing things like the Carbon Dioxide in victims breath. Ideally hundreds of these searching roboflies could be released at the site of a building collapse or other disaster where they could maneuver around debris and search out victims. Once the location of the victim is known rescuers are able to recover them without wasting time and possibly more lives.
Some people believe that there are already insect-like robots sent to spy on them, in 2003 dozens of individuals reported seeing strange machine-like dragonflies hovering above political rallies. It is a widely known fact that the military has been using robotic fliers since before the 1970s. One such robot known as "insectahopper" was designed to look like a dragonfly and required a small amount of gas.
Making a micro-robot requires more then simply making a design micro.
The laws of aerodynamics effect micro-robots like they would insects, that is to say on a different level. For insects air is truly a fluid, in some cases something they can literally swim in. This is due to their minute mass and the relatively large surface area of their wings which allows them to generate lift. These physical properties are the reason scientists believe there are more flying insects then there are birds or mammals. Insects' small size is an advantage to them, but causes a major problem for engineers because they cannot develop a machine that has as precise control of its movements.
Even with these difficulties one Harvard microbot researcher, Robert Wood, was able to develop a Robofly which has a 3inch wingspan, weighs only 60 milligrams, and is capable of sustained flight. This Robofly prototype can be seen in the image at the top of this page.