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News Release 16-064
Flight of the RoboBee
Long-term NSF support for Harvard University researchers helps develop unique flying micro-robots
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Inspired by the biology of a fly, with submillimeter-scale anatomy and two wafer-thin wings that flap almost invisibly, 120 times per second, the RoboBee takes its first controlled flight. The culmination of a decade's work, RoboBees achieve vertical takeoff, hovering and steering.
Credit: Kevin Ma and Pakpong Chirarattananon
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Robert J. Wood, Charles River Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Credit: Eliza Grinnell/SEAS Communications
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The RoboBee, pioneered at Harvard Microrobotics Lab, uses an electrode patch and a foam mount that absorbs shock to stick to ceilings and overhangs. The robot takes off and flies normally. When the electrode patch is supplied with a charge, it can stick to almost any surface, from glass to wood to a leaf. To detach, the power supply is simply switched off.
Credit: Wyss Institute, Harvard University
The Harvard Microrobotics Lab has demonstrated the first controlled flight of an insect-sized flapping-wing robot. This video shows the 80mg, piezoelectrically actuated robot achieving hovering flight and performing a simple lateral maneuver. Power and control signals are provided via wire tether. NSF and Harvard's Wyss Institute funded the work.
Credit: Wyss Institute, Harvard University