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RoboBee Can Dive, Swim, and Hover

Researchers from the Wyss Institute at Harvard University have been developing their RoboBee for several years, hoping it could eventually be used in swarms to pollinate crops, as real bee populations are diminishing worldwide. The RoboBee has other valuable applications as a miniature drone for search-and-rescue and surveillance. Now, with no hardware modifications, the 100-milligram flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle can fly, crash land in water, and swim. To fly in air the RoboBee flaps its wings at 120 Hz, while to swim in water it flaps its wings at 9 Hz.