China Unveils Mosquito Sized Surveillance Drone

What Happened?

China has unveiled a mosquito sized micro-drone small enough to fit between two human fingers. The micro-unmanned aerial vehicle is designed for covert surveillance missions according to the National University of Defense Technology in Hunan province, where the new micro-drone was designed and built.

The new microdrone was demonstrated on China’s state broadcast television where National University of Technology student Liang Hexiang demonstrated its capabilities by holding it up for the camera. Not only is the new micro-drone about the size of a mosquito, but it is built to look like an actual mosquito as well to help blend into its surroundings.

Why it Matters

This type of micro-drone could have several applications for military and intelligence services. Foremost, because of its small size and appearance which mimics a mosquito, the micro-drone could get close to troops in combat or other human sources of information without giving away its presence. That makes it an ideal surveillance tool for recording and transmitting audio and video information.

For example, special forces seeking to gain information about the location or size of a nearby enemy force could launch the micro-drone and let it wander the battlefield undetected until it found what they were looking for. It would provide special operators with a way to see without being seen, a capability long prized by clandestine services. 

The range on the new micro-drone was not revealed, but it also has three legs which would allow the drone to land and perch on a specific location, which would be essential for surveillance operations. China is not the only country developing and fielding micro-drones like this one. According to Tech Spot, the global race for micro-drones has accelerated in the past several years. Norway's Black Hornet series, for example, already includes palm-sized reconnaissance drones utilized by several different militaries around the world.

Micro-drones do have other potential applications besides military or intelligence operations. Such tiny drones could enable rescue teams to search the rubble of collapsed buildings by looking for survivors in spaces too small for any other type of equipment to reach. The biggest advantage of micro-drones, their small size, is also their biggest weakness. Such small frames limit the amount of power which can be carried by the drone, and that in turn would limit the operational range. 

Thus far micro-drones have not been used to deliver lethal force. But building such drones would only require a design that mimics a wasp or hornet instead of a mosquito, and that carries a syringe filled with a dose of poison strong enough to kill an adult human.

How it Affects You

Drone technology is rapidly evolving, and new drones such as China’s micro-drones will likely start to proliferate in the coming years. That added to the advances in drone technology made on battlefields like Ukraine mean we will soon live in a world where drones could be as common as cars.