UCLA and UC Davis build a 185 mg all-polymer flying robot that survives being crushed

Researchers at UCLA and UC Davis have built an insect-sized flying robot made entirely of polymer, with flexible wings driven by an electrically actuated soft muscle. The 185 mg prototype lifts three times its weight and kept flying after being swatted and loaded with 11,000 times its own mass, according to a Science Robotics paper. It still relies on external power; the team sees uses in inspection and search and rescue in tight spaces.

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