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Apr 21 2025
3Researchers at Harvard University have unveiled a major upgrade to RoboBee, a micro-robotic platform designed for flight. Nearly eight years after its debut as a hybrid machine capable of flying, diving, and swimming, RoboBee now features a sophisticated landing system inspired by nature—specifically, the crane fly.
Led by Professor Robert Wood of the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory has equipped the robot with newly designed, long, jointed legs. These legs significantly improve RoboBee’s ability to land smoothly, transitioning more effectively from air to ground. Additionally, the team has integrated an updated controller that enables the robot to decelerate as it approaches a surface, resulting in a gentler, more stable touchdown.
The enhancements are particularly important given the fragility of RoboBee’s flight mechanisms. Its wings are powered by piezoelectric actuators—tiny, energy-efficient components that mimic muscle movements but are prone to damage from rough impacts. At just one-tenth of a gram in weight and a wingspan of 3 centimeters, RoboBee is extremely lightweight, making it especially susceptible to instability during landing due to what’s known as the ground effect. This phenomenon occurs when air vortices from flapping wings create turbulence close to the ground, much like the downward gusts generated by helicopter blades.
“In earlier versions, we would shut off the motors just above the ground and hope for a safe landing,” said Christian Chan, a graduate student and co-first author responsible for the mechanical redesign. That approach, he noted, was far from reliable.
To tackle this issue, the team made significant upgrades to RoboBee’s onboard controller, allowing it to adjust dynamically to the ground effect and reduce impact velocity during descent. Nak-seung Patrick Hyun, a former postdoctoral researcher and now a faculty member at Purdue University, led efforts to test these improvements through controlled landings on various surfaces, including rigid platforms and natural substrates like leaves.
“The key to a successful landing is to minimize velocity before impact and to dissipate energy quickly afterward,” said Hyun. He emphasized that even RoboBee’s tiny wings generate considerable turbulence near the ground, often causing the robot to bounce or tip over upon landing.
Drawing from the natural world, the researchers took inspiration from the crane fly—a fragile insect often mistaken for a large mosquito. The crane fly’s long, segmented legs and lightweight body provided a biological blueprint for enhancing RoboBee’s stability during landings. After examining insect specimens from Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, the team developed and tested various leg prototypes, eventually settling on one that mimicked the crane fly’s joint placement and segment structure. They used specialized manufacturing techniques developed at the lab to fine-tune the stiffness and damping properties of each joint.
Biologist Alyssa Hernandez, a postdoctoral researcher and co-author, contributed her expertise in insect movement, applying her knowledge from Harvard’s Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology to help guide the robotic adaptations. “RoboBee serves as a bridge between biology and engineering,” Hernandez noted. “It also allows us to test biomechanical theories using robotic systems.”
While RoboBee currently remains tethered to external control systems, the team aims to make the platform fully autonomous by integrating onboard sensors, power sources, and control units. Removing the tether is the next big step toward unlocking RoboBee’s full potential.
According to the researchers, the miniature robot could one day play a vital role in various fields, from environmental monitoring to disaster response. One especially exciting application, Chan said, is artificial pollination—imagining future swarms of RoboBees buzzing through vertical farms and futuristic gardens, helping sustain ecosystems in an increasingly urbanized world.
Source:https://www.therobotreport.com/harvard-equips-robobee-crane-fly-inspired-landing-gear/
This is non-financial/medical advice and made using AI so could be wrong.
