Caltech Robot Bat
Caltech Bat Robot

Researchers at CalTech have developed a “Bat Robot” that boasts 40 active and passive joints, enabling it to fly just like the real thing. “[It] demonstrates one of the most advanced designs to date of a self-contained flapping-winged aerial robot with bat morphology that is able to perform autonomous flight,” said Alireza Ramezani, postdoctoral associate at UIUC. This bot can dynamically alter its wing shape by flexing, twisting, extending its shoulder, elbow, wrist and leg joints. Continue reading for another video and more information.

“This robot design will help us build safer and more efficient flying robots, and also give us more insight into the way bats fly,” according to Soon-Jo Chung, associate professor of aerospace and bren scholar in the division of engineering and applied science at CalTech, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory research scientist.

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