MIT engineers have developed a new insect-scale aerial microrobot
- MM24 Multimedia Desk
- 2 hours ago
- 1 min read
About four centimeters across and lighter than a paperclip, the microbit can fly with the speed and agility of a bumblebee.
Powered by soft, “squishy” artificial-muscle actuators that flap its wings, the robot achieves dramatic performance gains through a two-stage AI control system.
A high-fidelity model-predictive controller used in simulation and a lightweight learned policy that runs in real time.
This gives the tiny robot exceptional maneuverability, allowing it to accelerate several times faster than previous versions and perform rapid acrobatics such as ten consecutive somersaults in just over ten seconds.
It also maintains stable flight even when subjected to wind gusts, staying within a few centimeters of its intended path.
While the robot currently relies on an external computer for processing, the team aims to integrate onboard sensors and expand toward fully autonomous flight.
The technology could eventually support applications such as navigating tight, cluttered spaces during search-and-rescue operations, illustrating a major step forward for soft and micro-robotic systems.
The system also exhibits insect-like “saccade” motions, rapidly pitching forward and back in ways that could later support agile sensing tasks.
These advances not only break performance barriers for soft microrobots, but also point toward future robots capable of navigating tight, cluttered environments for applications such as search-and-rescue missions.
However, the robot is not yet fully autonomous — its control algorithms still run on an external computer, and integrating onboard power, sensors, and processing remains a significant challenge. Overcoming these limitations could eventually enable fully free-flying, sensor-equipped microrobots that operate independently in the real world.
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