Tags: Drone, Prototype, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle,
Publication: NationalGeographic.com
Publication Date: 05/02/2013

The half-inch drone could be used for environmental monitoring or pollination of crops. Image credit: Harvard Microrobotics Lab

Researchers at a Harvard’s robotics laboratory are working on the final details of the smallest drone yet created. The unmanned aerial vehicle is the size of a bee and, though it still trails a power cord, it has proven to successfully fly around the laboratory.

The drone’s body is half an inch long and was created from carbon fiber. Its wingspan stretches a bit over an inch. The wings are transparent and flap 120 times per second.

Unlike Harvard’s creation, drones this small have achieved stable flight in the past only by being attached to guide rails. According to reports, Harvard researchers have said the key is to separately control each wing. However, the control system is not on the drone, but on the lab and the fly doesn’t have an onboard power supply either.

This has been a challenge the robotics lab hasn’t been able to over come yet since there is no battery that is as small and powerful as needed. Thus, the drone received both power and control signals through a hair-thin umbilical cord that trails behind it. The team expects to have a wireless version completely in about three to five years.

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