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DelFly Nimble, the flying insect robot

September 13, 2018.

DelFly Nimble.

DelFly Nimble. © Delft Micro Aerial Vehicle Lab (MAV lab) / Wageningen University.

Flying insects like bees, dragonflies, and fruit flies can perform impressive aerodynamic feats, particularly when seeking to escape predators or the movements of an annoyed human. Now Dutch scientists have built a flying robot capable of executing similar manoeuvers – despite being much larger than the average insects – that could shed light on how these creatures achieve those feats. The scientists described their work in a new paper in Science.

Delta, “To be as nimble as a bee.”

Ars Technica, “This nifty flying robot can hover, bank, and turn as deftly as a fruit fly.”