A tiny insect robot with the longest flight has been created in the USA.

Environmental scientists report problems with pollinating insects, to the point of their mass extinction on Earth. This could be disastrous for human civilization, since agriculture cannot function without pollination of plants by insects. Tiny insect robots are being developed as a possible solution. Such devices could tirelessly pollinate plants, replacing real bees and butterflies. A prototype of one of these robots was presented in the USA.

Image source: Mit

Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reported significant progress in the development of insect robots. Previously, they created a robot with eight wings, consisting of four identical blocks. By creatively rethinking this design and eliminating its shortcomings, for example, interference from oncoming air flows created by four pairs of wings, the engineers developed a new, more compact version of the robot. It is equipped with only four wings, each of which is located on its own side of the quadrangular chassis.

The modified robot was able to stay in the air 100 times longer than the previous version – 1000 seconds. Inspired by this success, the developers set a goal to achieve a flight lasting 10,000 seconds, that is, almost 3 hours. However, there remains some uncertainty here. The motors of the robot’s flapping wings were powered remotely through a thin wire, and the flight ended not due to low batteries, but for another reason. The drives may have failed, but the MIT press release does not specify this point.

Each of the four wings is driven by its own drive with a connecting rod. This design turned out to be much more reliable than the previous one and confirmed the robot’s ability to behave stable in the air, as well as to maneuver. For example, the created prototype easily performs a double somersault in the air without falling to the ground. In addition, the proposed design leaves room inside the chassis for electronics and batteries, which will be the next step in the development of autonomous insect robots.

The actuator for each wing is an elastomer sandwiched between two carbon nanotube electrodes, rolled into a cylinder. Under the influence of electrical impulses, the elastomer lengthens and contracts, causing the wings to make flapping movements. The new design, which has increased reliability, with improved hinges, has tripled the torque transmitted to the wings. Thanks to this, the robot was able to perform complex movements in the air. For example, it flew along a trajectory whose instantaneous images formed the word “MIT” in the air. Although real insects are still a long way off, the progress made is impressive. Below is a video of a robot of a previous design.