New military drone based on bats

RALEIGH, N.C., July 8 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they used real bats as the inspiration for a new type of military surveillance drone equipped with wings that flap.

The "micro-aerial vehicle," developed at North Carolina State University, is used to monitor activities on the ground and detect biological weapons. It was designed with a lightweight skeleton and mechanical "muscle" system similar to a bat's and can be used to monitor movements on the ground or detect the presence of biological weapons.

"We have used a shape-memory metal alloy that is super-elastic for the joints," designer Stefan Seelecke told Britain's The Daily Telegraph. "The material provides a full range of motion, but will always return to its original position -- a function performed by many tiny bones, cartilage and tendons in real bats."

The newspaper said Wednesday the "flying bat" was designed to improve the maneuverability of micro-aerial vehicles. It is about the size of a real bat, runs on a solar battery and is self-guiding.

The project is still in the prototype stage.