Wednesday, December 4, 2024

MetaFly: An insect-inspired flying Robot

Throughout history, man has dreamed of flying. Today, MetaFly offers the opportunity to experience an extraordinary sensory adventure: flying like a bird. Forget about drones, it’s time to experience flight like never before.

Five years ago a French aeronautical engineer named Edwin Van Ruymbeke had successfully created Bionic Bird – a remote control model that flew by flapping its wings similar to an actual bird. The same engineer is back with an insect-inspired robot called MetaFly!

MetaFly takes to the sky using a unique method called biomimetics, denoting synthetic methods that emulate natural processes.

It is a highly flexible and extremely durable drone that looks and acts like a delicate insect for challenging flight. it weighs less than 10 grams (0.35 oz), is 19cm long (7.5 in), and has a 29cm (11.4 in) wingspan.

MetaFly with two channel remote
MetaFly with two-channel remote

The wing-flapping of Metafly is handled by a mechanical coreless motor that has an aluminum heat sink. A rechargeable Lithium-polymer battery is used to power the motor.

A two channel remote empowers you to control MetaFly even in the most compact spaces.

MetaFly: An insect-inspired flying Robot
MetaFly: An insect-inspired flying Robot

You can charge the battery by docking the MetaFly with the 2-channel radio remote control unit. The radio remote control unit is included in the package and holds four AA batteries. The MetaFly will draw current from these batteries, and a single 15-minute charge is enough to allow for about 8 minutes of flight time. A total of 15 flights are possible using one set of the remote’s batteries.

Additionally, you can use a separate 1500mAh power bank that weighs only 64grams, to charge your flying robot without having to connect to your controller. It will give your MetaFly 20 full charges before you have to recharge the power bank. Charge your MetaFly anywhere using the USB cable.

MetaFly Specifications
MetaFly Specifications

Moreover, it can reach top speeds of 18 km/h (11 mph) and has a maximum range of 100 meters (328 ft). All thanks to adjustable tail, MetaFly can turn smoothly and quickly. Also, you can easily toggle between faster and slower flight and turns by shifting the tail’s angle.

Also, crashing the thing is claimed not to be a problem, as its head, legs, and wings are all flexible. The wings are made of carbon fiber, liquid crystal polymer, and oriented polypropylene.

Blurbs