MIT engineers design an aerial microrobot that can fly as fast as a bumblebee - Robohub

MIT engineers have developed an aerial microrobot capable of flying with speed and agility comparable to bumblebees, marking a significant advancement over previous slow and smooth-flight microrobots. This tiny robot, roughly the size of a microcassette and lighter than a paperclip, uses larger flapping wings powered by artificial muscles to achieve rapid, agile movements. A novel AI-based two-part control system enables the robot to perform complex gymnastic maneuvers, such as executing 10 consecutive somersaults in 11 seconds, even under wind disturbances. This control scheme improves the robot’s speed by about 450% and acceleration by 250% compared to earlier versions, allowing it to navigate tight spaces and obstacles that larger drones cannot. The breakthrough stems from a collaboration between Kevin Chen’s Soft and Micro Robotics Laboratory and Jonathan P. How’s team, combining hardware improvements with a sophisticated AI controller that balances robustness and computational efficiency for real-time flight control. Previously, the robot’s controller