Bumblebees have succeeded: the insect robot will be able to pollinate plants and conduct reconnaissance

Russian scientists have managed to reproduce the flight features of a bumblebee in an algorithm for mini-robots with flapping wings. This allows the miniature drone to remain stable even in strong gusts of wind. The technology can be used to perform various tasks, from pollinating plants to conducting exploration and monitoring. The researchers confirmed the effectiveness of the development using a virtual model. At the same time, experts note that a number of engineering tasks still need to be solved for practical application, in particular, to develop a compact and lightweight power source with sufficient energy reserves.

Bumblebee flight algorithm

Scientists from MIPT and Skoltech have developed an algorithm for air stabilization of miniature robots with flapping wings. It copies the flight characteristics of a bumblebee and thus maintains the stability of the drone even in strong gusts of wind. Thanks to the new technology, such devices will be able to solve complex tasks: to penetrate into the rubble after disasters, pollinate plants in greenhouses and conduct reconnaissance. Scientists have confirmed the stability in tests on a digital model.

— If potential customers are interested in the development, we will be able to assemble a prototype of a mini-UAV. It will take at least six months. Currently, Chinese developers have a similar prototype, but it is characterized by low stability in flight. There are no other ready-made solutions and components. At the same time, a number of technical tasks have to be solved to create a full-fledged device. The most difficult of these is the power supply, as the batteries are too heavy. Perhaps an external power supply via wiring will be the solution," Nikolai Efanov, associate professor of the Department of Computer Science and Computational Mathematics at MIPT and head of the research group at the Skoltech AI Center, told Izvestia.

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Bumblebees are one of the most maneuverable insects in nature. They are able to instantly hover in the air, perform sharp turns almost on the spot, flip over and fly in any direction, accelerating and braking almost instantly. The secret of such capabilities lies in vortex aerodynamics: with each flap of the wings, stable vortex structures are formed that create lift.

However, the waving flight itself remains extremely unstable. In nature, the bumblebee's nervous system continuously processes signals coming from the eyes, antennae, and balance organs, and instantly corrects the movements of the wings. When trying to reproduce such aerodynamics in a robot or its digital model, this natural stabilization system is missing, so the device loses stability even with minor gusts of wind.

As part of the research, scientists have developed a flight stabilization algorithm for miniature robots with flapping wings, and also created a computing environment that allows testing various control systems in gusty wind conditions.

The stabilization system controls three key parameters of the wing movement: the amplitude of the swing, the average position of the trajectory and the angle of rotation of the wing around its own axis. At each step, the algorithm calculates how to change these parameters in order to maintain the set flight speed and return the device to steady motion as quickly as possible after an external disturbance.

Implementation of the bumblebee flight algorithm in practice

The effectiveness of the algorithm was tested in a digital wind tunnel, where a virtual bumblebee was launched with a strong vertical gust of wind. The new hybrid algorithm stabilized flight even under impacts, the force of which was one and a half times the own weight of the controlled object. The stabilization time in such conditions ranged from three to six seconds.

"Our method allows the robot to maintain steady flight in a much wider range of conditions. This is especially important for micro devices that will have to work in an extreme environment: between trees, inside buildings, in search and rescue operations, when monitoring infrastructure or pollinating plants in greenhouses," added Nikolai Efanov.

The stability that was reproduced on the basis of bumblebee aerodynamics is the main step from a beautiful model to a really useful microrobot, said Artem Bogatyrev, market expert at Aeronet Research Institute. For such devices, it is important to be able to quickly restore balance after an external impact, such as a gust of wind, air shear, or collision with an obstacle. The more stable the flight, the higher the chance that the robot will be able to perform the task not only in ideal laboratory conditions, but also in a real environment.

— Such drones have a very wide range of applications. Insect—like robots are especially interesting where it is necessary to penetrate into narrow or dangerous spaces - into rubble after accidents, inside destroyed buildings, into dense vegetation, into greenhouses or other hard-to-reach areas. Larger winged robots can already perform monitoring, surveillance, and search tasks, as well as carry heavier payloads. That is, small versions are good for reconnaissance and work in a confined space, while larger ones are suitable for tasks where range, stability and the ability to carry sensors or equipment are important," he believes.

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The very idea of a robot bumblebee is good because it opens up several application options at once — from miniature spot work to more serious application scenarios, the expert emphasized.

The aerodynamics of flying insects to create UAVs, unlike the aerodynamics of birds, is described very poorly. Therefore, the work of MIPT specialists is of high scientific value, said Dmitry Kuzyakin, Chief Designer of the Central Research Institute.

— Now the limit of miniaturization of quadrocopters is three inches. With smaller sizes, their effectiveness is noticeably reduced. However, it has not yet been possible to use bumblebee aerodynamics in a drone in practice, primarily due to the lack of a small power source," he said.

According to the expert, even if fundamentally new energy sources appear in the future, such as nuclear or biological, there will still be one more serious problem — placing a sufficiently productive artificial intelligence system on board.