When you consider how complicated it is, it’s impressive. When you consider the scale of this mechanism, it’s simply amazing…
Scientists at Harvard University have been working on developing bio-inspired robots. They are designed to work as an insect would, interacting with nature, serving an integral purpose, and they are able to do their work autonomously. The Harvard Monolithic Bee (affectionately called “Mobee”) is a millimeter-scale flapping wing robotic insect produced using Printed Circuit MEMS (PC-MEMS) techniques. This video describes the manufacturing process including carbon fiber and polyimide film laminates, adhesives, micro-machining and an assembly technique inspired by pop-up books. Watching the finished bee rise out of the frame is mesmerizing.
The published paper on the project featuring additional images can be downloaded here.
Such an elegant design. Well done.
[via BoingBoing]
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