First designed in 2012 by Harvard University, Robobee is a micro-sized robot that is capable of tethered flying. Weighing 80 milligrams with a 3-centimeter wingspan, it is the smallest man-made device to achieve flight. Harvard scientists, in collaboration with the Wyss Institute and University of Florida, are adding features for diverse environments.
Since its inception, engineers have designed it to follow a pre-determined path and more recently, to swim. They achieved this by applying a slick layer to the wings and slowing the frequency of wing beats. The team’s next goal is to give the insect-like device eyes to avoid crashing into obstacles.
The task of providing vision is not as easy as fitting two cameras spaced a minimum distance apart for depth perception. Not that it is difficult but rather impossible as there isn’t enough room on these micro-robots. A more reasonable method is light based navigation system.
Researchers came up with the idea of Lidar, Light Detection and Ranging, to solve this problem. Lidar works like Radar and Sonar, but uses invisible light to measure distance and detect obstacles, like in driverless cars.
Lidar, actually, presents another challenge as the smallest Lidar systems weigh nearly 10 times that of the robot itself. Apart from the weight, the flight requires 97% of the power, making power a challenge. Scientists at the University of Florida are working on not only making the hardware smaller but also improve the efficiency of the system. According to researchers, micro-lidar technology, once established, could help people interact with wearable technology in a more natural and efficient way.
If the navigation system is sorted out, RoboBees could be used in a variety of ways. RoboBees, coordinated like actual insect groups, can assist in search and rescue operations, military surveillance, and artificial pollination as bees die at an alarming rate.
