Yet another “Black Mirror” episode is happening irl

After two decades of development, the RoboBee from Harvard’s Microrobotics Lab is almost ready for a full release, according to a new study. Soon to come: morbid online polls determining their next human target.

The specs: The RoboBee measures about half the size of a paper clip, and weighs less than one-tenth of a gram. It flies using artificial “muscles” that contract when a voltage is applied, with additional modifications allowing some RoboBee models to transition from swimming underwater to flying, as well as “perch” on surfaces using static electricity.

The lab hopes to use the tiny robots for environmental monitoring, disaster surveillance, and even artificial pollination to aid declining actual bee populations.

Harvard, we have a problem: In the past, researchers have struggled to engineer consistent, safe landings for the RoboBee due to how small and light it is. Previous iterations suffered from significant ground effect, or instability as its flapping wings drew closer to the landing surface.

• Scientists looked to the crane fly for inspiration in their most recent redesign, giving the RoboBee long jointed legs that help ease its transition from air to ground.
• The robot bug also received an updated controller that helps it plop-down gently upon landing rather than going full speed.

Looking ahead…While the RoboBee is currently tethered to off-board control systems, Harvard researchers’ long-term goal is for their bots to have full autonomy.