Robotics Technology Center

Robobees Buzzing Around In the Hope To Save Soldiers’ Lives

Micro Air Vehicles or MAV's are being built at the Autonomous Vehicle Laboratory at the University of Maryland, in the hope to save the lives of soldiers at war.

The project is a five-year grant of $12 million from the U.S. Army to study the way insects, birds, snakes, and bats navigate and communicate with each other. Researchers at Maryland University are developing miniature robot prototypes from the said kinds of insects. These robots could be used to carry out dangerous air surveillance and save lives on the ground. One of these robot-insects are robobees.

Robobees are bees inspired robots. They were designed according to how real honeybees move and fly, and even how real honeybees look. The researchers are studying everything about these insects' motion and flight controls. They are exactly developing robots that mimic how real insects fly and interact with its environment. Ultimately, the researchers aim to produce microchips which function just like an insect’s brain.

Recently, robobees have undertaken their first flight tests inside the AVL laboratory. Conroy is currently manning the robots for now, but the aim is to make them completely autonomous. Watch Conroy as he navigates the controls to make robobees fly.

Click here to read more about Robobees, Robot-insects and Micro Air Vehicles