The worlds smallest robot failing insect called the Robo-Fly which
has been created by Harvard University developers has been demonstrated
this week.
The Robo-Fly is constructed from carbon fibre, and weighs just a
fraction of a gram. Watch the video after the jump to learn more about
the Robo-Fly project and see it in action. 
The Robo-Fly is equipped with super-fast electronic "muscles” to
power its wings, and is currently the world’s smallest flying robot,
with fly-like agility that allows the insects to evade even the swiftest
of human efforts to swat them, explain Dr Kevin Ma from Harvard
University.
The Robo-Fly is able to fly due to the very rapidly switching on and
off of the voltage, beating approximately 120 times every second. Dr
Kevin Ma from Harvard University and his team explain:
"We could envision Robo-Fly being used for search-and-rescue
operations to search for human survivors under collapsed buildings or
[in] other hazardous environments,”
Currently the Robo-Fly is tethered to a small, off-board power, but
the researchers hope to remove this over the next few years to create a
fully wireless flying robot. Dr Kevin Ma added:
"Until then, the Robo-Fly research project continues to be very
captivating work because of its similarity to natural insects. It is a
demonstration of how far human engineering ingenuity has reached, to be
mimicking natural systems.”
Source: Gizmodo : BBC | 