The tiny flier can follow paths, dodge obstacles, perch and land. It's even simpler to build than the earlier two-winged model.

There's still much, much more work to be done before there are robotic insects in service. Bee+ flies tethered, since that saves the team from factoring a battery into the design. Size is also a concern. While the robot is only slightly larger than a penny, it's still much larger and heavier than most real insects.

This does solve one of the larger problems for minuscule flying robots, though. And importantly, bots at the size of Bee+ could still be useful for a number of tasks, such as scouting hazardous areas and locating survivors in collapsed buildings. The challenge is simply designing a robot that can carry a full payload while remaining small enough to fit into exceptionally tight spaces.