Robotic Fly

According to the DeviceGuru Blog, Harvard faculty member Dr. Robert Wood successfully directed a project that created the world's smallest robotic fly. With a wingspan of 1.2 inches (3 cm) and a weight of 0.002 ounces (60 mg), the robotic fly can generate enough thrust to takeoff.

The "Flybot" will be showcased at New York's Museum of Modern Art starting Feb. 24. Funding for this project was awarded to the Harvard University Microbotics Lab from DARPA (the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). In turn, DARPA hopes to gain access to micro-miniature surveillance technologies.

I figure a picture can say a thousand words. Here's a video of the "Flybot" posted on YouTube: I find this fascinating, yet I'm also reminded of Big Brother in George Orwell's novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Specifically, I'm thinking about the potential misuse of technology by individuals and society. Nonetheless there's also countless benefits with such technology that are yet to be realized.

Robotic Fly to Descend on New York [DeviceGuru]
Design and the Elastic Mind [MoMA]
Harvard Microrobotics Lab [link]
DARPA [link]