See How This Wireless Flying Robotic Insect Can Take Off And Land

Robofly, designed by engineers from the University of Washington, can flap on its own, isn't tethered to any devices and powered by a laser beam. Slightly more substantial than a wooden toothpick, engineers from the University of Washington have created a robot insect that can fly untethered. Dubbed the RoboFly, the engineers gave the robotic flying insect a brain (a microcontroller) and offset the need for heavy electronics traditionally used to power miniature robotics by powering it with a laser beam. Engineers said that the biggest challenge to creating the free-flying robotic insect was to understand how to generate enough power for it to flap its wings. "Wing flapping is a power-hungry process, and both the power source and the controller that directs the wings are too big and bulky to ride aboard a tiny robot," said Sawyer Fuller, assistant professor, UW Department of Mechanical Engineering.