Measuring about 2 cm long and weighing just 0.3 grams, the insect-inspired device has two tiny wings and three spindle-shaped legs. According to experts, its minuscule size makes it difficult to detect with conventional radar systems.
A Chinese defense research institution has unveiled a spy drone that closely resembles a mosquito.
The bionic micro-drone was demonstrated on China’s state military television channel CCTV-7 on June 20.
“Here I have a mosquito-like robot in my hand,” Liang Hexiang, a student at the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), told the channel.
“Miniature bionic robots like this one are especially suitable for information intelligence and special missions on the battlefield,” he added.
According to the Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, the wings can flap 500 times per second.
The stick-thin body is equipped with sensors designed for covert surveillance and other military operations.
The team also unveiled a prototype with four wings controlled by a smartphone, according to the South China Morning Post.
Although the report does not disclose what kind of data it can collect, experts say that its minuscule size will make it difficult to detect using conventional radar systems.
Microdrones are on trend
Such microdrones are becoming more and more common in modern warfare.
Several countries are actively researching or already using such technologies in the field.
For example, a Norwegian palm-sized micro-UAV called the Black Hornet is already in use by many armed forces, including the US military.
The pocket-sized drone uses cameras and thermal imagers for fast, stealthy reconnaissance.
In 2006, DARPA, a secret laboratory of the US Department of Defense, launched a project called Hybrid Insect Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (HI-MEMS) to create “cyborg insects” by placing micromechanical systems inside insects.
