A self-sustaining wireless sensing and flight control device for beetles

Abstract

Insect-electronics hybrid robots integrate live insects with small electronic backpacks. These backpacks guide insect movement and sense environmental data. Due to size and payload constraints, high-capacity batteries are impractical for prolonged energy supply. This study proposes a self-sustaining wireless sensing and flight control device with an energy management module and a Bluetooth slave module. This setup enables solar energy harvesting, wireless flight control of beetles, and the acquisition of image and attitude information. The device achieves directional flight control with a 72.5% success rate in turning. Operation duration increases by 46.6% in image-only mode and 50.9% in combined image and attitude angle mode under 20 000 lux indoor illuminance. Outdoor experiments demonstrate continuous operation at one image per second under favorable illuminance conditions, with a 92% increase in operation time when capturing images and yaw angles. This microelectronic device enhances the durability of insect robots during extended field missions, providing valuable insights into long-term environmental monitoring.