Researchers in the Micro Air Vehicle Laboratory (MAVLab) at Delft
University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands, have been working on a
nimble robot that rivals the flight capabilities of real-life insects.
Known as the DelFly Nimble, the robot flaps its wings at a rate of 17 times per
second. This motion generates lift and helps maintain flight control.
"The robot has a top speed of 25 km/h and can even perform aggressive maneuvers,
such as 360-degree flips, resembling loops, and barrel rolls, says Matej
Karásek, the first author of the study and main designer of the robot, in a
press release. Moreover, the 33-cm wingspan and 29-gram robot has, for its
size, excellent power efficiency, allowing 5 minutes of hovering flight or more
than a 1-km flight range on a fully charged battery."