Dr. Leif Ristroph from New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences created this adorable little four-winged robot prototype with the shape and flight pattern reminiscent of a jellyfish. Ristroph and his colleagues at NYU believe the design could potentially improve the surveillance/search mission and atmospheric monitoring capabilities of robots.
Via NewScientist:
The design should be especially useful for making centimetre-scale robots that drift through the air. It is quite robust – it can crash into objects while remaining unharmed – and with a weight of 2 grams it easily gets carried by a breeze, which could be an advantage. "We could use this type of robot to float around and take measurements, for example to monitor carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere," says Ristroph.
Check it out, AFTER THE JUMP…
