Hummingbird Robot
The Japanese have created a robotic hummingbird that weighs two and a half grams and flaps its wings 30 times per second.
“Japanese researchers said Monday they had developed a “hummingbird robot” that can flutter around freely in mid-air with rapid wing movements. The robot, a similar size to a real hummingbird, is equipped with a micro motor and four wings that can flap 30 times per second, said Hiroshi Liu, the researcher at Chiba University east of Tokyo. It is controlled with an infrared sensor and can turn up, down, right or left. The robot, which weighs 2.6 grams (0.09 ounces), can fly in a figure of eight more stably than a helicopter with rotor blades, said Liu, 46, who specializes in developing robots based on living creatures.”
