Robotic Hummingbird to the Rescue

Robots designed to be of service to people are increasingly common. While the Roomba does not offer the sassy repartee of Rosie on the 1960s era cartoon The Jetsons, it certainly does a heck of a job with the floors. And it does pretty well at Pac-Man, too, with the benefit of some post-purchase alterations.

I'd previously thought that Snackbot, the robot programmed to make the rounds in its creators' office with the salted treats, was the apex in service to mankind. A recent article in PhysOrg, however, has me thinking that first place for robotic assistance just got snatched from the snack tray by a robotic hummingbird designed in Japan.

The new robot is tiny, weighing in at less than one-tenth of one ounce, and propelled through the air by wings that flap 30 times per second. The direction and speed of its movement is controlled remotely by infrared sensors. The new device is designed to get into and move throughout damaged structures in the event of an emergency such as an earthquake to help locate survivors. When the going gets tough in a state of disaster, the plan is to send this guy in, along with several of its robotic brethren.

The robotic member of the rescue team is the work of Chiba University's Hiroshi Liu, whose study and work centers on using animal life forms as the basis for his robotic designs, according to PhysOrg.

Photo courtesy of Dario Sanches, via Wikimedia Commons