A RoboBee Takes Off

RoboBee flight tests show how even tiny flapping-wing robots can be controlled

The RoboBee project at Harvard University is attempting to create a hive of small flying robots. the project’s creators detail the challenges of building and controlling such tiny robots. The first video depicts some early flight tests of RoboBee prototypes. The slow-motion shots show the RoboBee turning in four different directions after takeoff. You’ll also notice a small wire hanging from the bee’s underside—that’s to supply power. Any battery (or other known energy-storage system) strong enough to power the RoboBee would be too heavy to allow the robot to take flight.

In Brief

• RoboBees are flying robots the size of bees. Their size presents a huge assortment of physical and computational challenges. At such small dimensions, off-the-shelf parts such as motors and bearings will prove too inefficient, so the bees must employ specially designed artificial muscles to power and control flight.
• In addition, the tiny bees must think on their own, using miniature sensors to process environmental cues and processors to make decisions on what to do next.
• Like real bees, RoboBees will work best when employed as swarms of thousands of individuals, coordinating their actions without relying on a single leader. The hive must be resilient enough so that the group can complete its objectives even if many bees fail.