Micro aircraft simulate insects

The next generation of unmanned military aircraft will be designed based on insect sensors in nature. These types of flying robots can be used in military reconnaissance missions or rescue operations.

According to the Daily Mail , the advantage of dragonfly or butterfly-shaped unmanned aerial vehicles is that they can be used in emergency situations that are too dangerous for humans and in attacks spy on military secrets.

Flies will be touch to develop future generations of unmanned aircraft. Photo: Alamy

Scientists from Oxford University (UK) have studied the evolution of insect wings over the past 350 million years. The research team wants to build perfect flying devices inspired by their mechanism of action.

Dr. Richard Bomphrey, who did not start the study, said: ' Nature has helped solve the problem of how to design ultra-small planes. Through studying the flight mechanism of insects, we can develop new generation reconnaissance devices that are as small as insects and can fly like them. '

Insect flexibility allows them to land and take off accurately at very high speeds. This ability helps them survive in wars and natural disasters. Military forces also want to develop small robots like insects that can fly in caves and secret rooms to gather information about people and weapons inside.

Unmanned aircraft used in current reconnaissance and bombing missions are too large. Photo: Reuters

However, the problem for scientists is that the aircraft cannot fly as fast and maneuverable as insects. The reason is that, in order to be able to fly, any object requires a combination of thrust and lift. Human-designed planes have two separate devices - engines and wings - to help them fly, but limit their production of ultra-small aircraft.

Meanwhile, the insect's flapping motion creates both thrust and lift. If man-designed planes can simulate this mechanism, the size of the planes may be much smaller than current aircraft. The smallest model of reconnaissance aircraft currently has a wingspan of about 30cm.

Scientists hope, their research could be useful for the defense industry in the next 3-5 years in developing aircraft with insects like insects and these will become should be popular within the next 2 decades.