Birds are notorious for their perching ability, whether it be on tree branches, fences, or telephone wires. According to The Atlantic, avian talons are specifically designed to achieve this feat, as their tendons function like a pulley system. When a bird lands and bends its ankle and knee joints, the talon automatically grips. For the snoozing bird, it’s an ingenious system, ensuring it doesn’t fall from its perch.

At Harvard University, roboticists are trying to endow microrobots with perching abilities. Though they’re not going the route biology chose for birds. Instead, their latest attempt, detailed in a study published in Science, employs static electricity to achieve the feat.

“Micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) with the capability to stay aloft for a prolonged time would be invaluable in many applications: providing a bird’s-eye view of a disaster area, detecting hazardous chemicals or biological agents, or enabling secure signal transmission in ad hoc communication networks,” the researchers wrote. “However, the flight time of aerial robots is restricted by the weight of their on-board power supplies and the lifetime of their mechanical components.”

A product of the Harvard Microrobotics Lab, the RoboBee weighs around 100 mg, with the new mechanism that enables perching comprising about 13.4 mg. The electroadhesive is made of an electrode patch and foam mount, capable of absorbing shock.

“In our system, a small amount of energy is constantly supplied to maintain the attraction,” said study author Moritz Graule in a statement. To disengage from the substrate, the mechanism is simply switched off.

The mechanism requires about 1,000 times less power than it takes for the microrobot to fly, according to the researchers. Since the electrostatic patch is attached on the microrobot’s head, it can only perch on overhanging surfaces.

“Our method enables repeatable transitions from flight to perching, as well as transitions from attachment to stable hovering flight on overhanging surfaces consisting of wood, glass, with a tethered insect-scale flapping wing robot,” the researchers wrote.

Next, the researchers want to tweak the mechanical design so the microrobot can perch anywhere.   

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