US firm unveils hummingbird mini-spy drone

A pocket-size drone dubbed the Nano Hummingbird for the way it flaps its tiny robotic wings has been developed for the Pentagon as a mini-spy plane capable of manoeuvring on the battlefield and in urban areas. With a wingspan of 16½ centimetres, the mini-drone weighs 19 grams, or less than a AA battery. The Hummingbird's guts are made up of motors, communications systems and a video camera. It is slightly larger than the average hummingbird.



The battery-powered drone was built by AeroVironment for the Pentagon's research arm as part of a series of experiments in nanotechnology. The little flying machine is built to look like a bird for potential use in spy missions.

The drone could fly at speeds of up to 17km/h, AeroVironment said. It can hover and fly sideways, backward and forward, as well as go clockwise and anticlockwise, by remote control for about eight minutes. The company says the aircraft allows controlled precision hovering and fast-forward flight.


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The artificial hummingbird uses only its two flapping wings for propulsion and control. The Hummingbird would be a major departure from existing drones that closely resemble traditional aircraft. The next step was likely to be further refinement of the technology, officials said, before decisions were made about whether the drones would be mass-produced and deployed.