Robo-Bats Set To Save The Day

Bats may look like creepy little critters, but scientists have been onto their top secret powers for years... and sorry to say, they don't turn into Dracula clones if that's what you're thinking.

Researchers have long appreciated the innate skills of these tiny, compact and perfectly aerodynamic creatures to navigate challenging spots unscathed and figured that it would be wise to emulate their Mother Nature-endowed technology.

The result? Think ROBO-BAT, a highly sophisticated piece of equipment weighing in at only 6 grams and yet equipped with enough on board surveillance equipment to bring spies to their knees.

And the best news for greeniacs is that these flying robots will be powered with solar batteries!

Indoor surveillance is definitely an interesting application -- rather than risk the lives of rescue workers or rescue dogs for that matter, these miniature flying machines could be used to investigate building collapses, fires, etc.

However, scientists seem to be really excited about ROBO-BATS' self-guidance system and the ability that it will have to potentially sniff out biological weapons and send data back to troops in combat zones.

For their part, scientists have conducted an extensive analysis of real bats' skeletal and muscular systems so that they can create a robotic version.

They are putting the final touches on the fabrication and assembly of the joints, muscular system and wing membrane for each robo-bat in their arsenal.

Utilizing a shape-memory metal alloy that imparts an elastic quality to the joints, the ROBO-BAT emulates the full range of motion that real bats accomplish.

A unique alloy that responds to the heat from an electric current is being used for ROBO-BAT muscle tissue, in effect prompting them to contract as they do in real life, allowing each remote control unit to anticipate and adapt to weather changes.

The Telegraph says that this $10 MILLION project was launched in an effort to "overcome problems faced by existing 'micro aerial vehicles' (MAVs) - scaled-down helicopters and planes which are inefficient and difficult to move around."

Whatever the case, this seems to be biomimicry at its finest...but I wouldn't mind playing with one of these bad boys in my yard just for fun.