Not that we’re freaking out or anything, but it appears we are getting closer and closer to some sort of a futuristic world where half of the things that exist outdoors are not necessarily nature’s creation, but rather mankind’s hand-made product. If this swarm of lightweight drones that take the shape of real life butterflies will reach the market, we might as well say we are in that world already.
Before you watch the video and actually freak out, let us just offer you a couple of details on how these little flying machines work. These groundbreaking RC combine the ultralight construction of artificial insects with coordinated flying behavior in collective. And here’s how they do it.
In order to fly together as a swarm, they use indoor GPS with infrared cameras. Ten cameras installed in the room record the butterflies using their infrared markers. Then they transmit the position data to a central master computer, which coordinates the butterflies from outside. According to the company that created them – Festo, the intelligent networking system creates a guidance and monitoring system, which could be used in the networked factory of the future.
In case you thought making a bunch of little drones fly by themselves in a coordinated way is jaw-dropping wait to hear this. The butterflies themselves are a true piece of craftsmanship, built using a lightweight construction and functional integration.
“The eMotionButterflies impress with an intelligently employed mechanical system and the smallest possible power units in the tightest space. The reduced use of materials enables the true-to-nature flying behavior,” Festo details.
Did we mention that they look and act like real-life butterflies?
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