Created in the United States "cyberpach" will be able to fly unlimited time
Engineers from Harvard University managed to create the world's first miniature flying robot, which can be in the air for an unlimited time. Details of breakthrough development were published the day before in the online journal Nature.
According to project manager Robert Wood, this "cyber bee" was the culmination of many years of work by scientists who have repeatedly tried to create something similar. For example, the two-winged predecessor of the current device, called RoboBee, could cover short distances through the air, after which it needed to “attach” to the wall (like a bat) and be in this position for a while, in order to accumulate energy for the next flight.
The new brainchild of Harvard engineers, unlike the aforementioned RoboBee, received not two, but four composite wings weighing 90 milligrams and a transmission with piezoelectric “muscles”. The latter needs only 120 milliwatts of electricity to work, which is provided by a solar battery weighing 60 milligrams secured to the "proboscis" of a cyber bee. The total weight of the electronic insect is 259 milligrams, which is almost double that of its "living" counterpart.
At the moment, the robot operates in laboratory conditions with concentrated lighting. In the near future, developers are faced with the task of equipping their offspring with communication and control systems. According to scientists, the successful implementation of their project may lay the foundation for the massive creation of such insect robots.
According to project manager Robert Wood, this "cyber bee" was the culmination of many years of work by scientists who have repeatedly tried to create something similar. For example, the two-winged predecessor of the current device, called RoboBee, could cover short distances through the air, after which it needed to “attach” to the wall (like a bat) and be in this position for a while, in order to accumulate energy for the next flight.
The new brainchild of Harvard engineers, unlike the aforementioned RoboBee, received not two, but four composite wings weighing 90 milligrams and a transmission with piezoelectric “muscles”. The latter needs only 120 milliwatts of electricity to work, which is provided by a solar battery weighing 60 milligrams secured to the "proboscis" of a cyber bee. The total weight of the electronic insect is 259 milligrams, which is almost double that of its "living" counterpart.
At the moment, the robot operates in laboratory conditions with concentrated lighting. In the near future, developers are faced with the task of equipping their offspring with communication and control systems. According to scientists, the successful implementation of their project may lay the foundation for the massive creation of such insect robots.
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