Bioinspired Robotics

This robot fly, capable of lift-off, was created using layered micromachined composite structures. With a tiny carbon fiber body and wings made of thin plastic sheets, the fly was inspired by the way real insects move. See video...

From insects in your backyard, to creatures in the sea, to what you see in the mirror, this team draws inspiration from Nature to design a whole new class of smart robotic devices.

Many of the most advanced robots in use today are still far less sophisticated than ants that "self-organize" to build an ant hill, or termites that work together to build impressive, massive mounds in Africa. That is why Wyss scientists are taking their cues from the insect world to design and fabricate a new, "smarter" class of robotic devices that move and adapt like living creatures and harness the power of self assembly. They are working toward the day when an army of robo-bees, for example, will be able to pollinate crops just as well as "real" bees do.

Lead Projects and Technologies

	Autonomous Flying Microrobots Writing the engineering "code" for meso-scale flying robots		Pop-Up MEMS A new manufacturing technique enabling complex three-dimensional machines in the mesoscale
	Swarm Robotics Autonomous robots forcollective construction		Soft Exosuit Lightweight suit to increase the wearer's strength and endurance