See the robotic insect that flies and perches

Scientists have designed flying, insect-sized robots that can perch and launch from ceilings.

The robots use something called electrostatic adhesion, the same process by which statically-charged balloons stick to walls.

Perching allows the robots to conserve energy.

The findings, reported in the journal Science, contribute to a decade-long effort of the Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory.

Footage courtesy of M. A. Graule, S. B. Fuller, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering/Harvard University

Video produced by Victoria Gill