These may well be the next generation of flying robots that can be deployed in search-and-rescue missions. However, a critical challenge in flying small robots is to help the conserve energy over extended missions. Researchers at Harvard’s School of Engineering report in the journal Science that the trick to get these miniature robots to marathon is to teach them to perch. Using talons, like birds or sticky feet-like insects, to get them to hold on to leaves and branches aren’t practical for these paper-clip light robots and so the engineers used static electricity. The RoboBee uses an electrode patch and a foam mount that absorbs shock. The entire mechanism weighs 13.4 mg, bringing the total weight of the robot to about 100 mg — similar to the weight of a real bee. The robot takes off and flies normally. When the electrode patch is supplied with a charge, it can stick to almost any surface, from glass to wood to a leaf. To detach, the power supply is switched off.
