ROBO -BEES; THE FUTURE OF RESCUE MISSIONS.

This tiny robot, developed by team at Harvard University, is "inspired by the biology of a bee and the insect's hive behavior".This 'Robo-bee' can land on ceilings, perch on precarious objects and help out in search and rescue missions. The team aim to push advances in miniature robotics and the design of compact high-energy power sources, spur innovations in ultra-low-power computing and electronic smart sensors and refine coordination algorithms to manage independent machines. Robots such as the Robo-bee have a number of uses – pollinating a field of crops, for example, or in search and rescue missions. The tiny size and ability to land and perch on ceilings and walls, it could potentially be used for reconnaissance missions during natural disasters, as well as "hazardous environment exploration", military surveillance or climate mapping. Harvard team said that by modelling a robot's "physical and behavioral robustness" on insects, they could carry out complex tasks "faster, more reliably and more efficiently". The robot perches on ceilings and walls using "electrostatic adhesion" – the same kind of energy that makes a "static sock stick to a pants leg or a balloon to the wall". The structure is also incredibly light – around 100mg, the same weight as a real bee. The team will now work on improving their model by changing the mechanical design so the robot can "perch on any surface", not just ceilings. read more @wired.co.uk