Flight of the RoboBee! Tiny aerial robots save energy by pausing to perch using static electricity like a sticky balloon

Flying robots can find uses from searching for victims following natural disasters to letting the military keep an eye on potential targets on the battle field. But flying can use a lot of energy and as drones get smaller, their ability to stay in the air for peroids of time that make them useful quickly diminish. But now scientists have come up with a solution - an aerial microbot nicknamed the RoboBee which can land on any surface to rest much like a real insect. Scientists have come up with an aerial microbot nicknamed the RoboBee (three attached to a leaf, pictured). By giving their tiny robot the ability to perching on a surface, researchers have dramatically reduced the amount of energy needed to power these mini flying robots.