BERKELEY, Calif. - Like a bumblebee flitting from flower to flower, a new insect-inspired flying robot created by engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, can hover, change trajectory and even hit small targets. Less than 1 centimeter in diameter, the device weighs only 21 milligrams, making it the world’s smallest wireless robot capable of controlled flight, Kara Manke writes for the university. Continue reading original article.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
2 April 2025 - “Bees exhibit remarkable aeronautical abilities, such as navigation, hovering and pollination, that artificial flying robots of similar scale fail to do,” said Liwei Lin, Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. “This flying robot can be wirelessly controlled to approach and hit a designated target, mimicking the mechanism of pollination as a bee collects nectar and flies away.”
Researchers at UC Berkeley developed a tiny flying robot powered and controlled by an external magnetic field, eliminating the need for onboard batteries and electronics. The propeller-shaped device, equipped with small magnets, spins under the influence of the magnetic field, generating lift.
This insect-inspired robot, about three times smaller than the next comparable design, follows precise flight paths but lacks onboard sensors, making it vulnerable to environmental disturbances like wind. It currently requires a strong electromagnetic field for operation, but further miniaturization could enable control via weaker fields, such as radio waves. Beyond this flying robot, the team has also created a cockroach-like robot that withstands pressure and another designed for swarm behavior, mimicking ants to perform complex tasks collaboratively.
The research paper is available here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ads6858
Related: Maglev Aero debuts magnetic propulsion tech in Paris, partners with GE
Related: Lilium selects Honeywell to develop propulsion unit position sensors for its flagship eVTOL
Related: MIT's robotic insect could someday aid in mechanical pollination
Jamie Whitney, Senior Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
