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Inspired by the humble bee, robotics researchers at MIT have designed insect-sized aerial bots with a reimagined wing system that can fly for up to 1,000 seconds | 100 times more than any similar bots we've seen in the past.
Inspired by the humble bee, robotics researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have designed insect-sized aerial bots with a reimagined wing system that can fly for up to 1,000 seconds – 100 times more than any similar bots we've seen in the past.
These bots, which weigh less than a gram, feature flapping wings that not only allow for extended flights, but also increased agility – enough to pull off somersaults and trace infinity symbols in the air. The tiny robots are a big deal because this could unlock a precise method to artificially pollinate plants in multilevel warehouses, enabling the cultivation of fruits and vegetables indoors at scale , and reducing the need for vast farmlands. These wings use soft actuators made from layers of elastomer sandwiched between thin carbon nanotube electrodes that are rolled into a cylinder – a sort of artificial muscle.
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