Tiny Robo-fly, The World's Smallest Drone

at 26 June 2014

Drones are becoming diverse, now a fly sized robot is set to become the worldâ€™s smallest drone navigates using the light sensitive eyes and weighs less than a gram i.e. 106 mg. Although it is small but it could prove useful as its main purpose is to be used in rescue and search operations because of its strength to squeeze through tiny spaces. It could be used to pollinate crops and monitor the environmental conditions in the future. It is controlled and powered using a lightweight wire and can perform agile moves like insects, reports BBC. The scientists of Harvard University were inspired by the insects which keep their balance by relying on their on-board senses. They designed their drone on light sensitive eyes known as ocelli found in flies and bees; the three ocelli, little eyes, are on head top and compound eyes at the side. These eyes are used for the navigation and can be used to see the colors and maintain stability in flight. It is considered as reverse engineering and an effort by the scientists; they have developed a flying apparatus using the robot with similar characteristics as that of flies and bees.