Hummingbirds are among the most impressive of flying creatures. Swooping and gliding are all well and good, but they can also hover, and are the only birds that can fly backwards.
- This versatility in flight is exceptional, but it hasn’t stopped scientists trying to copy them.
- Researchers at Chiba University in Japan have created a robot hummingbird, similar in size to the real thing and with a tiny motor and four wings that can flap 30 times a second.
- The robot weighs 2.6g, and is controlled by an infra-red sensor. Its designers claim it can fly in a figure of eight more stably than a helicopter with rotor blades.
- The next step is to make it hover in mid-air and to attach a camera. Whether you’ll welcome its hum or not will depend on why it’s being used – scientists envisage its applications will range from the rescue of people from earthquake ruins to the tracking down of criminals.