MIT's new swarm of tiny robotic insects can fly 100 times longer than its predecessors. According to engineer Kevin Chen, the robots could someday be used within agricultural warehouses to conduct artificial pollination.
The latest version of the robot, which is lighter than a paperclip, can hover for around 16 minutes which, Chen says, is likely more than the combined flight time of every robotic insect in the history of the field. Below is a short documentary about MIT's robot insect work below.
"Incorporating sensors, batteries, and computing capabilities on this robot will be a central focus in the next three to five years," Chen says.
Outlined in the journal ScienceRobotics, the research isn't funded by the US defense department. But you know they'd love to be a fly on the wall in Chen's lab.
Previously:
• Cyborg-Insect Factory is a real machine that turns cockroaches into robots
• Watch: Tiny floating robot can jump from water's surface
