The Robotic Hummingbird Spy
AeroVironment, an engineering firm, is designing and developing a flying robot that resembles a hummingboard. The U.S. Defense Department Advanced Reasearch Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded AeroVironment a 2.1 million dollar contract for the robot, which has small wings that allow it to hover and fly up, down and sideways. The goal of the design is to allow the robot to conduct reconnaissance missions in urban environments.
See a demo of the company’s robotic aircraft on YouTube: