How a paperclip-sized robot achieved 100 times more flight endurance
Engineers at MIT have redesigned insect-scale microrobots to fly significantly longer and faster than ever before. By rethinking wing arrangement and mechanical stress, these tiny machines can now perform acrobatic flips and hover for extended periods, bringing us closer to a future of automated mechanical pollination.
The breakthrough comes from the Soft and Micro Robotics Laboratory at MIT, led by Associate Professor Kevin Chen. The new design addresses a fundamental flaw in previous iterations: earlier robots used four identical units with two wings each, creating an eight-winged rectangular device roughly the size of a microcassette. This configuration caused wings to blow air into one another, reducing lift. The new architecture halves the number of wings, with each unit featuring a single flapping wing pointing away from the robot’s center to stabilize flight and boost lift forces.
This structural shift does more than just improve aerodynamics; it creates the internal space necessary to carry tiny sensors or batteries, a requirement for autonomous flight outside the laboratory. Furthermore, the researchers implemented more complex transmissions and longer wing hinges. These durable components reduce mechanical strain on artificial wing flexures, which previously limited the robot's lifespan. As a result, the robot can now generate control torque three times larger than its predecessor, enabling sophisticated path-finding and maneuvers like double aerial flips.
Despite these leaps, significant engineering hurdles remain. The robot's wings are driven by artificial muscles—soft actuators made of elastomer sandwiched between carbon nanotube electrodes. At the high frequencies required for flight, these actuators are prone to buckling, which saps power. Additionally, while the robot can now hover for approximately 1,000 seconds—over 100 times longer than previous versions—it still lacks the biological precision of a bee. Replicating the fine-tuned muscular control that allows a bee to navigate with such agility remains a primary goal for the researchers.
Source: Why Is MIT Making Robot Insects?
