Tagged: micro-air vehicles

Micro Flying Robots Bring Spying To A New Level

Is bigger really always better? Not in this case. Engineers have been working on tiny flying robots that have the ability to spy and detect harmful chemicals. With this new technology, these little fliers could be used by the United States Military in order to help with defending the US. The fly-like look and size […]

Application of Hummingbird Physics

In a previous post from the last quarter, Grace Ingalls talked about the physics of how hummingbirds fly.  The hummingbird was described to fly more like an insect rather than a bird since it was able to hover in every direction as opposed to conventional birds who flew only in a forward direction. Impressed by […]

Spying with Nature

The concept of a self propelling, romote controlled vehicle that would have to ability to fly through windows and spy on enemies has always been considered science fiction. They have been seen in movies such as James Bond or Transformers but now, scientists are figuring out ways to make these vehicles reality. These devices are […]

AeroVironment, Inc.’s Nano Hummingbird

The flight of a hummingbird has been fascinating to study since it is able to fly backwards and hover. The amount of energy it must use to flap its wings 12-90 times per second seems impossible for a creature its size. It  also manages to control its flight so precisely that it can  point its […]

Robotic Flies at Harvard

Researchers from Harvard and UC Berkeley have collaborated to build a 60-milligram robotic fly, the smallest scale biomimetic device ever created. Although the robot is currently only capable of tethered vertical flight, the technology could one day lead to miniature drones with military or rescue functions. Houseflies, and all insects capable of flight, are extremely […]