Video: Robohopper gets wings, Icarus complex

Remember the tiny 5cm robot grasshopper that could leap like a superhero but had trouble landing its, um, landings? Well, it still hasn't figured out those basics, but its Swiss developers are already marching ahead with plans to endow it with a pair of wings and light awareness. Now described as a self-deploying microglider, the wannabe locust will be able to identify light sources and fly toward them, an act known as phototaxis, which will make it about as intelligent as your garden variety moth. All the same, you can't stick a camera on a moth and use it to search disaster areas for survivors ... or can you? Videos of the underlying tech can be found after the break.

[Via Bot Junkie]

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[LAY Posted Aug 27th 2009 1:44PM]

And so the war with our Robohopping overloards begins

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 27th 2009 1:51PM]

i saw that grasshopper video a long time ago. it made me laugh a lot when it done a retarded jump in the beginning in slow motion.

[Mile Posted Aug 27th 2009 1:51PM]

You are not ready until you can snatch the robohopper from my hands.

[Jonthomasdesigns Posted Aug 27th 2009 2:03PM]

I would love that strapped to my legs

[appsman Posted Aug 27th 2009 2:14PM]

Don't bother building anything, nature will do it for you. It has been done with a real bug. It's way more amazing (and scary) that robots. Borg insects.

http://www.technologyreview.com/video/?vid=217

[Ma2T Posted Aug 27th 2009 2:20PM]

Add a small camera, hide the electronics, and it would make the best undercover surveillance ..bug.

[mrln Posted Aug 27th 2009 5:52PM]

D: poor beetle.

It doesn't look like they can tell it where to go, yet...

[mtkupp Posted Aug 27th 2009 2:18PM]

So we just need to get the disaster survivors to collect under the light.

[k1m Posted Aug 27th 2009 2:26PM]

landing it's landings? I think the word you are looking for is "sticking"

[F C Posted Aug 27th 2009 3:41PM]

So it shows off its jumping skills only to buss it's ass on the landing?
No thank you!

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 27th 2009 4:38PM]

It looks fun, but not sure when this kind of thing can be used commercially.

http://onioning.com

[wegap Posted Aug 27th 2009 9:49PM]

Add the glider to the Hopper we get a landing tech (or atleast a less dangerous landing).. Just glue it on top .. it should be fine..

[Corbs Posted Aug 28th 2009 4:22AM]

'Positive phototaxism'

/geek