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Hummingbird Bot Could Aid Search and Rescue Operations

by Matthew Zuras on December 30, 2009 at 08:30 AM


Robot animals are all the rage these days. From pollutant-hunting mechanical fish to animatronic replacements for mascot dogs, we seemingly can't get enough of them. Our friends over at Engadget report that researchers from Japan's Chiba University have recently built a "robotic hummingbird" that can stay aloft via blindingly fast wing movement. At a development cost of 200 million yen (about $2.1 million), the hummingbird is now able to fly in figure eights with more stability than a helicopter, according to the AFP's conversation with project developer Professor Hiroshi Ryu.

The little avian bot, weighing less than a tenth of an ounce, is controlled with infrared sensors, and flaps its four wings 30 times per second. (Real hummingbirds flap theirs 12 to 90 times per second, depending on the species.) By 2011, Ryu hopes to attach micro-cameras to the body of the bird so that it can be used for search and rescue operations in burned-out buildings, or even serve as a Martian probe.

We like this application of robot technology slightly better than creepy humanoid droids that seem to serve little purpose other than giving us nightmares of an 'A.I.' future. And since humans have a less tarnished history of making animals do free work for us (as opposed to other humans), this sits a little better with our consciences. [From: AFP/Physorg, via: Engadget]

Tags: chiba university, ChibaUniversity, future, hummingbird, japan, robot, safety, search and rescue, SearchAndRescue, top

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