Buzzing the enemy

ASEE Prism, Oct 2002

Forget James Bond. The next generation of super spies may be micromechanical blow flies. Researchers at the University of California-Berkeley are developing the Robofly, a 100-milligram robotic fly that the Pentagon hopes will someday be used to buzz across enemy lines to pick up valuable intelligence. Also dubbed the Microfly, the critter is the result of research led by Ron Fearing, a professor of electrical engineering. He joined forces with two other Berkeley colleagues-professors Arun Majumdar and Michael Dickinson -in 1998 to sell the idea to the Office of Naval Research, which has spent about $2.5 million on the project. Key to the bug's development is research by Dickinson on how insects fly so expertly. For his efforts, Dickinson last year won a $500,000 "genius" award, a MacArthur Fellowship that's annually given to a handful of researchers. A zoologist, Dickinson studies the nerves and muscles that enable insects to fly. Three years ago, he concluded that flying insects use three, complex wing motions. "The aerodynamic models from Professor Dickinson are critical for obtaining sufficient flight forces, and hence have guided our electromechanical thorax design completely," Fearing says. To achieve flight, the Robofly needs to have proper wing motion at a high frequency, 150 Hz, and the lab prototype is closing in on that goal. So far, it's attached to an apparatus that gives it balance and stability. Power and control come from o$board wires. But Fearing says they'll devise and install integrated electronics in the coming months, and free flight may be achieved in about a year. The Microfly's actuators are made of piezoelectric ceramic; its structure is ultrafine stainless steel; and its joints and wings are polyester. Its weight will include a 30 milligram battery that Fearing hopes will provide 10 to 20 minutes of flight time.

Beyond defense uses, Fearing thinks his Microfly could be handy for many other chores, including crop monitoring, artificial pollination, pest management, fire detection, airquality monitoring, search-and-rescue needs, games, and kidtracking. Electronic blow flies might even become popular as companions, he suggests. But would you pet it or swat it?