A team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, inspired by fireflies, created insect-sized robots that emit light when they fly. Fireflies are known for their luminescence which they use for communication purposes. The MIT researchers who created these tiny robots intended something similar.

The ability of these tiny robots to emit light can enable them to communicate with each other. It also makes tracking the robots more precise and efficient. While large robots can communicate using myriad tools, robots as tiny as these cannot. [1]

Figure 1. MIT’s Tiny Robotic Lightning Bugs take Flight

Figure 1 shows these glimmering fireflies also sparked the inspiration of researchers at MIT. Taking a cue from nature, they constructed electroluminescent soft artificial muscles for flying, insect-scale robots. The tiny artificial muscles that control the robots’ wings emit colored light during flight.

This electroluminescence could enable the robots to communicate with each other. For example, if sent on a search-and-rescue mission into a collapsed building, a robot that finds survivors could use lights to signal others and call for help.These robots are so lightweight that they can’t carry sensors, so researchers must track them using bulky infrared cameras that don’t work well outdoors. Now, they’ve shown that they can track the flying robots precisely using the light they emit and just three smartphone cameras. [2]

Each illuminating actuator served as an active marker that the researchers said can be tracked using iPhone cameras. Using iPhone cameras and a computer program, developed for the project, the researchers were able to almost accurately tell the position and altitude of the robot. The results inched close to what the large motion capture systems would churn.

“We are very proud of how good the tracking result is, compared to the state-of-the-art. [3]

The robots, now equipped with light-emitting wings, can help them to communicate and fly outside the lab. Its application fits in multiple domains, including search-and-rescue missions where these robots can find survivors and use light to signal others. [4]

References:

1. https://gadgets360.com/science/news/mit-researchers-develop-insect-sized-robot-fireflies-emit-light-3245998
2. https://scitechdaily.com/mits-tiny-robotic-lightning-bugs-take-flight/
3. https://realtimeindia.in/mit-researchers-develop-insect-sized-robot-fireflies-that-emit-light-when-flying/
4. https://hostingsignal.in/mit-researchers-develop-insect-sized-robot-flies-that-can-emit-light/

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022), MIT’s Tiny Robotic Lightning Bugs take Flight, Anatechmaz, pp.168