They are inspired by the anatomy of natural pollinators with the aerial robots being more agile and durable then previous iterations.
The bots can hover for 1,000 seconds, ten times longer than previously demonstrated, without any degradation of flight precision. The robots also weigh less than a paper clip, flying faster than similar bots; and can complete acrobatic manoeuvres.
They can also fly at an average of 35 centimetres per second.
The newly improved robots can now boost flight precision and agility while minimising the mechanical stress on its wing flexures - leading to better endurance and a longer lifespan.
"The amount of flight we demonstrated in this paper is probably longer than the entire amount of flight our field has been able to accumulate with these robotic insects. With the improved lifespan and precision of this robot, we are getting closer to some very exciting applications, like assisted pollination," says Kevin Chen, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), head of the Soft and Micro Robotics Laboratory within the Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE), and the senior author of an open-access paper on the new design.
The researchers also created more complex transmissions that connect the wings to the actuators that flap them. These transmissions reduce the mechanical strain that limited the endurance of past insect bots.
"Compared to the old robot, we can now generate control torque three times larger than before, which is why we can do very sophisticated and very accurate path-finding flights," Chen says.
The actuators are made from layers of elastomer which is between two thin carbon nanotube electrodes - these are also rolled into a soft cylinder. The actuators compress rapidly and elongate which generates the force that flap the wings.
Despite the innovation, researchers claim that the robots are no match for natural pollinators when it comes to endurance and speed.
