Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026
Insect-machine Hybrid System: Remote Radio Control of a Freely Flying Beetle (Mercynorrhina torquata)
Published on: September 2, 2016
Controlled flight of a biologically inspired, insect-scale robot
Kevin Y Ma1, Pakpong Chirarattananon, Sawyer B Fuller
1School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. kevinma@seas.harvard.edu
Researchers created a tiny, 80-milligram insect-scale robot that mimics a fly's agile flight using novel piezoelectric actuators and rapid prototyping. This breakthrough demonstrates the feasibility of artificial insect-like flight through advanced miniaturization and control strategies.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Bio-inspired Engineering
- Micro-mechanics
Background:
- Flies exhibit remarkable aerial agility, posing significant miniaturization challenges for robotic replication.
- Force-scaling laws necessitate unconventional approaches for propulsion, actuation, and manufacturing in insect-scale robots.
- Existing robotic systems struggle to replicate the complex flight dynamics of small insects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop high-power-density piezoelectric actuators mimicking biological flight muscles.
- To establish a rapid prototyping methodology for sub-millimeter, flexure-based robotic mechanisms.
- To design and demonstrate a functional insect-scale flapping-wing robot capable of controlled flight.
Main Methods:
- Development of high-power-density piezoelectric flight muscles for propulsion.
- Implementation of a manufacturing methodology for rapid prototyping of micro-mechanisms.
- Construction of an 80-milligram, insect-scale flapping-wing robot based on fly morphology.
- Application of a modular flight control system utilizing limited dynamic information.
Main Results:
- Successful demonstration of stable hovering and basic controlled flight maneuvers in tethered conditions.
- Validation of piezoelectric actuators for efficient, high-power-density micro-propulsion.
- Creation of a functional, articulated, flexure-based sub-millimeter robotic system.
- Achieved unconstrained flight capabilities within a tethered environment.
Conclusions:
- The developed innovations are sufficient for achieving artificial, insect-like flight.
- The study validates the potential of bio-inspired design and advanced manufacturing for micro-robotics.
- This research paves the way for future development of highly agile, insect-scale flying robots.
