Researchers at Washington State University have developed a robotic bee named Bee++ that can fly completely in all directions.
With four wings made of carbon fiber and mylar film and four lightweight drives that control each wing, the Bee++ prototype was the first prototype capable of stable flight in all directions.
Bee++ fully achieves the six degrees of free motion exhibited by typical flying insects, including torsional motion known as yaw.
Researchers have been trying to develop artificial flying insects for more than 30 years.They could one day be used for many applications, including artificial pollination, search and rescue efforts in small spaces, biological research in a variety of environments, or environmental monitoring.
Researchers initially developed a biplane bee robot, but its movement was limited, and after continuous research, they later created a four-winged robot that was light enough to take off.
With a weight of 95 milligrams and a wingspan of 33 millimeters, the Bee++ is still larger than a real bee weighing about 10 milligrams. Unlike real insects, it can only fly autonomously for about five minutes at a time, so it is mainly connected to the power supply by cable.
