MICROBOTS
These next-gen, insect-sized drones are both nimble & robust
The technology enables agile robots to operate in cramped spaces and withstand collisions
As we move deeper into Robotics research, they are coming in all shapes and sizes. But then you have to deal with limitations of these sizes — too big and maneuverability is an issue, make them too small and they are not robust enough to withstand major obstacles. Nevertheless, they are all useful in their own capacity. An example of both these sizes was reported by me last year, where the first one was a huge shape-shifting robot and the other one was the World’s smallest Microelectronic robot.
Building on these endeavors, researchers from MIT, Harvard University & City University of Hong Kong have now come together to develop an insect-sized robot that not only exhibits acrobatic agility and resilience in flight but is also able to withstand physical hurdles like wind gusts, obstacles & other uncertainties. Combining all these traits into flying robots has been a huge challenge until now, which this team has overcome.
The small aerial robot developed by the multi-disciplinary team shows breakthrough agility and resilience. According to the press release, the microbot weighs only 0.6 grams, which is…
