Scientists at the University of California have developed a tiny flying robot. It is just 9.4 mm wide and weighs 21 mg - about a third of the weight of a bee. Inspired by insects, the robot works on magnetic fields.
Scientists at the University of California have developed a tiny flying robot. It is just 9.4 mm wide and weighs 21 mg - about a third of the weight of a bee. Inspired by insects, the robot works on magnetic fields.
It mimics the flight capabilities of a bumblebee. Like that insect, it can hover, move both vertically and horizontally, and hit small targets. Its descendants could one day perform tasks such as pollinating crops or exploring spaces too small for conventional drones to access, writes New Atlas.
The robot’s 3D-printed polymer body consists of a four-bladed horizontal propeller surrounded by a “balance ring.” A small vertical ring protrudes from the center of the propeller, holding two washer-shaped neodymium permanent magnets—each 1 mm wide and 0.5 mm thick.
The robot is powered and controlled by an alternating magnetic field that is generated externally along one axis.
As the robot's two magnets are simultaneously attracted and repelled by this field, they cause the propeller to spin, creating lift. Once the robot is airborne, its balance ring adds rotational inertia, creating a gyroscopic effect that increases stability.
By uniformly increasing or decreasing the magnetic field strength, the robot moves up or down, causing it to rotate faster or slower, respectively. And by changing the magnetic field strength horizontally, you can move the robot forward, backward, or sideways.
The scientists now plan to add sensors that will allow the robot to maintain stable flight by self-adjusting to variables such as wind gusts. They also hope to make the device even smaller, thus reducing its power requirements by using a weaker magnetic field.
