WSU researchers creating buzz with new robot

Researchers here in Washington are creating a buzz with a brand-new robot. A team at Washington State University developed a robotic bee that can fly in all directions, just like the real thing.

The wings are made out of carbon fiber and mylar. Researchers say they use four lightweight actuators to control each wing. They also say in the future, artificial flying insects could be used for a number of things like artificial pollination, and search and rescue efforts in tight spaces.

The research is led by Néstor O. Pérez-Arancibia, Flaherty associate professor in WSU’s School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.

He says that researchers have been trying to develop artificial flying insects for more than 30 years. Adding that getting the tiny robots to take off and land required the development of controllers that act the way an insect brain does.

“It’s a mixture of robotic design and control,” he says. “Control is highly mathematical, and you design a sort of artificial brain. Some people call it the hidden technology, but without those simple brains, nothing would work.”

The researchers report on their work in the journal, IEEE Transactions on Robotics. Pérez-Arancibia will present the results at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation at the end of the month.

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