Watch a Little Robot Flap Its Wings Like a Rhinoceros Beetle

A teeny robot designed to replicate the wing dynamics of rhinoceros beetles could be well-suited for search-and-rescue missions, as well as spying on real insects, according to researchers at Switzerland’s Institute of Technology Lausanne and South Korea’s Konkuk University.

Roughly twice the size of a beetle and weighing slightly more than a CD (18 grams), the microrobot’s rapid, insectlike movements draw from research into how beetles deploy their wings. Unlike birds and bats, which rely on “well-developed pectoral and wing muscles” to outstretch their wings, the researchers observed that “rhinoceros beetles can effortlessly deploy their hindwings without necessitating muscular activity,” they wrote in a paper published in Nature this week. To test their observations, they made the robot.

There was already plenty of footage of insect-inspired robots online — some extremely tiny, some like a swarm of ants, and others reminiscent of cicadas. However, the researchers say their robotic critter is unique in how it folds up its wings at rest and then passively deploys them to take flight and remain in the air. The researchers filmed the robot while airborne and slowed the footage (to 20% of the actual speed) to show off its elegant, rhythmic flaps.

“Our robot with foldable wings can be used for search and rescue missions in confined spaces,” lead researcher and postdoctoral scientist Hoang-Vu Phan told Tech Xplore, citing the robot’s small stature. “When flight is not possible, the robot can land or perch on any surface, and then switch to other locomotion modes such as crawling,” he explained. The folding function could make its wings less susceptible to damage.

Phan also said the robot could be disguised to help biologists spy on real insects in forests — a use “for which conventional rotary-wing drones are not applicable,” he said. The robot might even make a decent engineering toy for kids, Phan suggested, explaining that the robot’s “low-flapping frequency is very safe and human-friendly.” That’s not unlike actual rhinoceros beetles, which neither bite nor sting, despite their somewhat intimidating appearance.