They keep building smaller and smaller flying robots, including this latest mini flying robot from Seiko Epson in Japan. The micro flyer is the new version of the robot by the Japanese technology firm that surprised folks last year. Credit: AP

It showed off its flying prowess in a pre-planned flight, with instructions sent via Bluetooth. Weighing in at 12.3g, the FR-II is wireless, has Bluetooth and its own battery on board, unlike its precursor, and takes and sends images. The battery only has enough power for a three-minute flight. Its two tiny ultrasonic motors let it buzz about for three minutes. Seiko Epson said it could be used in search and rescue operations in two years.

The helicopter robot, which is lighter than a can of soda pop, could be used in surveillance operations or for reaching into tiny spaces to look for earthquake survivors.

The Micro Flying Robot is:

• 136mm wide, 85mm tall, 12.3g in weight
• Two ultra-thin ultrasonic motors propelling in opposite directions
• 32 bit microcontroller
• Tiny gyro-sensor
• Battery pack on board
• Bluetooth
• Digital camera
• Remote controlled
• Two LED lamps

Seiko Epson, which has a long history of micromechatronics in watch-making, developed a different gyro-sensor which is a fifth of the weight of the one the first model carried. It claims it is the smallest and lightest gyro-sensor in the world, with the super-thin motors that were re-designed to boost its lifting power by 30 percent. The mini gyro-sensor acts as a stabilizer and could be used for digital cameras and camera phones this year to ensure snaps are not blurred, said the Japanese firm.

The world's smallest non-flying robot is the Monsieur microbot, developed by Seiko Epson in 1992. The FR-II micro robot will be buzzing around at the Emerging Technology Fair, part of the Future Creation Fair, in Tokyo on August 27. Information gleaned from BBC (International version): at this site.