Robotic Insect Takes World's First Bug-Bot Flight

Those
Harvard boys are at it again, this time creating the world's first
robotic fly that actually took flight for the first time. This
sophisticated machine is made of tiny laser-cut pieces of carbon fiber,
parts so small they're nearly invisible and molded to outlandishly
tight tolerances of within 2 micrometers. There have been other
attempts at building robotic insects, but this tiny bot-bug is the size
of a horsefly with a wingspan of just over an inch, and uses the same
flight technique as those everyday, filthy varmints flying around your
garbage can.

Its first flight
reminds us a bit of the Wright Brothers' first flight, but it was even
more primitive because it's not capable of being controlled yet. It
just takes off on a two-wired tether that keeps it straight and level
and moving in an upward trajectory. But hey, it's still flying.

There's also talk of using the little houseflies to sniff out toxic chemicals and such.
Article Link (Gizmodo)