ROBO BEES

As technology is starting to be more compact so is the mechanics of flight all the way down to the level of insects. Robo Bee is developed by Wyss Institute at the Harvard University with the inspiration of biological fly. This innovative idea is implemented with the technology of MicroElectroMechanical (MEM) technology. These Robo Bees weights about 18mg with 1.1-inch wingspans which is believed to be the smallest man-made wingspan to achieve flight, vertical takeoff, hovering and steering. These wings can flap over 120 times per second and are made up of piezoelectric actuators and can control remotely in real-time. These wings contract when an electric field is applied. The body frame is made by Thin hinges of plastic embedded within a carbon fibre body frame which act as the joints. At the foundational level, this project was developed in consideration of artificial pollination. But can also have been considered for search, rescue and surveillance.

This microbot is a culmination of twelve years of research, Robo Bee solved two key technical challenges of micro-robotics faced by researchers. The first challenge is, it is too small for even the smallest encapsulated microchips, which means there is no way for the Robo Bees to make decisions. But now, this miniature robot has onboard vision sensors and the data requires transmission to a tethered "brain subsystem" for interpretation. The second challenge, the researchers have figured out, is how to get a viable power supply on board. As we all know larger power units store more energy and they require bigger power sources, this Robo Bee is tethered with tiny cords that supply power. This feature manages power on-board and conserves energy. However, the independent power supply and decision-making functions which are currently supplied to the robot are tethers, which is integrated with in the skeleton.

If these obstacles are overcome it is possible for these bees to utilize swarm and intelligence which will be imperative for the idea of artificial pollination as well as search and rescue missions and can be even expanded for use and detect harmful chemicals in the air. All though it is said that this project offers few ecological and moral risks this project is still in development and will likely see some sort of implementation in the coming years.