This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Flying insects, such as fruit flies, bees, dragonflies and mosquitoes, can dart through narrow spaces and survive collisions with various objects. In contrast, many flying robots fall, suffer damage or even break down when they hit nearby surfaces or objects.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) have developed a tiny robot that could better replicate the resilience of flying insects. The new robot, presented in a paper published in Science Robotics, could potentially explore areas that are difficult for other robots or humans to reach, recovering quickly after collisions.

"Our lab has been developing soft robotics for years. We were inspired by how flying insects survive collisions and other physical disturbances," Qibing Pei, senior author of the paper, told Tech Xplore. "Many insect-sized robots rely on fragile components, which makes operating beyond the laboratory difficult. We saw an opportunity to use electrically responsive polymer materials to create a simpler, more resilient design."

The authors of the paper wanted to build a more resilient micro aerial vehicle, a tiny flying robot that could be used to observe or inspect environments that are difficult to reach. Their goal was to ensure that the robot generated enough lift to take off from the ground while also surviving impacts with other objects and compression in confined spaces.

Source link