Robot-like insects and insect-like robots are the stuff of science fiction and science fact. In science fiction, insects are frequently featured as robotic critters, either scurrying across the galaxy as invading aliens or as robo-bug counterparts to a futuristic human race. There are countless examples in TV, movies, video games, comic books, even on rock-and-roll album covers—the insect/robot archetype has been used, re-used, and re-imagined. In reality, engineers look to insect movement, wing design, and other characteristics to inspire new technology. Some of the most advanced aircraft are no bigger or heavier than a dragonfly, and NASA scientists are making big steps in walking rovers and swarm-theory probes for planetary exploration. Man-made technology is finding that the most maneuverable and efficient design features really do come from nature. Ironically, this technology often closely resembles the musings of science fiction. This hybridization of insects and technology from both fields is what Mike Libby borrows from, celebrating these correspondences and contradictions. The work does not intend to function, but playfully and slyly insists that it possibly could.
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