The BioniCopter from German tech firm Festo (known for their animal-mimicking machines) is designed to replicate the flight capabilities of a dragonfly (sustained single point hovering, multidirectional flight, including backward flight).
It’s a glider, it’s a chopper, it’s a plane. It’s behind you, relaying live feed to Quantico before dropping a cyanide capsule into your tea.
Festo sez:
In addition to control of the shared flapping frequency and twisting of the individual wings, each of the four wings also features an amplitude controller. The tilt of the wings determines the direction of thrust. Amplitude control allows the intensity of the thrust to be regulated. When combined, the remote-controlled dragonfly can assume almost any position in space. [… ] This unique way of flying is made possible by the lightweight construction and the integration of functions: components such as sensors, actuators and mechanical components as well as open- and closed-loop control systems are installed in a very tight space and adapted to one another. With the remote-controlled dragonfly, Festo demonstrates wireless real-time communication, a continuous exchange of information, as well as the ability to combine different sensor evaluations and identify complex events and critical states.
