Already spending more than US$2.1 million dollar, Japan researchers unveiled their Hummingbird Robot that can really flap like a hummingbird (at 30 flops per second) and weighing only 2.6 grams.

Although it looks nothing like the hummingbird, its actions actually try to replicate it.

The robot, a similar size to a real hummingbird, is equipped with a micro motor and four wings that can flap 30 times per second, said Hiroshi Liu, the researcher at Chiba University east of Tokyo.

It is controlled with an infrared sensor and can turn up, down, right or left. The robot, which weighs 2.6 grams (0.09 ounces), can fly in a figure of eight more stably than a helicopter with rotor blades, said Mr Liu, 46, who specialises in developing robots based on living creatures.

If successful, it may be deployed to Mars for navigation work.

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