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Robo-Butterflies Don't Contribute Much to Science, But We Still Want Some

by Matthew Zuras on May 21, 2010 at 08:10 AM

Butterfly Engineers Hiroto Tanaka of Harvard University and Isao Shimoyama of the University of Tokyo have created an artificial butterfly that approximates the flight patterns of their fluttering brethren. But one of the co-authors of their research, U.C. Berkeley physiologist Robert Dudley, doesn't seem to think that the butterfly bots contribute any new information to the study of biology. Check out a high-speed video of the bot in flight after the break.

Dudley told Wired.com, "As a technical accomplishment, this work is impressive, but there are a number of aerodynamic and biological issues that need further attention." Butterflies normally dance through the air in looping patterns -- as opposed to flying in a straight line -- possibly to avoid predators looking to capture a less chaotic meal. Dudley said that, although the mechanical version somewhat approaches the flying patterns of a real butterfly, the difference between the two is so great that it negates any conclusions drawn by the research.

Well, Dudley sounds like a bit of a pill, but we'll put stock in his opinions as a researcher, anyway. Still -- robot butterflies? Want. [From: Wired and IOP Science]

Tags: butterfly, harvard, Hiroto Tanaka, HirotoTanaka, Isao Shimoyama, IsaoShimoyama, research, Robert Dudley, RobertDudley, robot, robotics, top, University of California Berkeley, university of tokyo, UniversityOfCaliforniaBerkeley, UniversityOfTokyo

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