Japanese researchers at at Chiba University have developed a “hummingbird robot” that can flutter around freely in mid-air with rapid wing movements. The robot is about the same size as a real hummingbird, flies courtesy of a micro motor and four wings that can flap 30 times per second, and is controlled with an infrared sensor.
Professor Hiroshi Liu, the main researcher, adds that he also plans to equip the Hummingbird Robot with a micro camera by March 2011.
Potential uses include helping rescue people trapped in destroyed buildings, searching for criminals or even as a probe vehicle on Mars.
[ Read the article at: Yahoo! ]This is not the first Hummingbird Robot announced. Darpa announced the Hummingbot 2.0 a while back: