You might have seen flying robots in the reel world of Hollywood science fictions, but you will now be able to see the flying robots in the real world. Yes, the technologists at the University of Waterloo in Ontario have developed the world's first flying micro-robot.

The team of engineers led by professor Mir Behrad Khamesee, the professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, who is skilled in developing micro-scale devices using magnetic levitation, has claimed that they have developed the prototype of flying robot, called MicroElectroMechanical Systems, or MEMS. According to the researchers, the tiny, flying robot can be used for moving objects precisely, assembling mechanical components, handling hazardous samples, and sometimes performing microsurgeries.

The technologists have reported that the robot, powered by a magnetic field, can hover, holding objects. The robot is controlled by a laser-focusing beam remotely.

In the statement, Behrad Khamesee has claimed, "We have developed a magnetically levitated micro-robot, which is a new technology for manipulation using flying micro-robots. We are the first in the world to make such a floating robot equipped with micro-grippers. It can enter virtually any space and can be operated in a sealed enclosure by a person outside, which makes it useful for handling bio-hazardous materials or working in vacuum chambers and clean rooms."

In the research report explaining the invention, Khamesee has explaned, "We develop a focal point of a magnetic field in space, which the microrobot hangs on," wrote Khamesee. "By changing the location of the focal point (through current control in several coils), the micro-robot is consequently moved."

"It can enter virtually any space and can be operated in a sealed enclosure by a person outside, which makes it useful for handling biohazardous materials, or working in dust-free environments," Khamesee has said.

The technologists have submitted the report on their invention to the journal Focused Section on Mechatronics for MEMS, which published jointly by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.