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DelFly Micro Dragonfly Is Smallest Creepy Autonomous Spybot Yet
Posted by John Mahoney at 9:20 AM on July 24, 2008
We told you the tiny DelFly II robotic dragonfly spy cam was just the beginning, and we were right. The same Dutch roboticist is now unveiling the DelFly Micro--with a wingspan of just 10cm and a weight of 3.07 grams, it's the first to be smaller than an actual real-life dragonfly. Granted, the dragonfly being used for comparison is Borneo's Tetracanthagyna plagiata, which has a frankly horrifying 20cm wingspan--the largest in the world, no less. But still, now you're even less likely to realise those annoying bugs whizzing around during your protest march are actually just autonomous insectoid ornithopters keeping an eye on you--nothing to worry about. See it take to the air, complete with live eye-in-the-sky video feed, below.
James Watts spends his time putting together fantastic insect-bot sculptures, and the Solar Dragonfly is one of the best. The solar panels running down the body actually power the wings, which are then kicked into motion using a pager motor. Sure, it looks swell, but we can't help but think the Solar Dragonfly would lose its balance while flapping its wings feebly, all the while wishing it was a real dragonfly. How would Disney have tackled that one? A solar powered dragonfly that wants to be a real insect—now there's a cartoon we want to see. Pixar, hop to it. Hit the link for some more great shots. [
It appears that hawks the world over are not Giz readers, because they would have known that 
