Chinese military robotics lab creates mosquito microdrone for covert operations

A robotics laboratory at the National University of Defence Technology (NUDT) in central China’s Hunan province has developed a mosquito-sized drone for covert military operations.

NUDT researchers showed their work on various types of robots – from humanoid machines to tiny drones barely visible to the eye – in a report aired on CCTV 7, China Central Television’s military channel, on the weekend.

“Here in my hand is a mosquito-like type of robot. Miniature bionic robots like this one are especially suited to information reconnaissance and special missions on the battlefield,” Liang Hexiang, a student at NUDT, told CCTV while holding up the drone between his fingers.

In the video of the unmanned aerial vehicle, two tiny wings with a leaflike structure were attached to the sides of the stick-shaped drone body along with three hair-thin “legs”.

The report highlighting advances in robotics engineering also showed a prototype controlled via smartphone with four wings, two moving horizontally on each side of the body.

Their tiny size makes manufacturing this new type of drone challenging: sensors, power devices, control circuits and other elements must fit into a very small space. It requires collaboration between various disciplines, such as the engineering of microscopic devices, materials science and bionics.

The micro UAV Black Hornet, a palm-sized, helicopter-shaped drone developed in Norway, is widely used by armed forces around the globe.