In a remarkable feat of human ingenuity and creative design, researchers have created a robot that successfully mirrors a few of the most interesting flying capabilities of bats. 

Widely considered to be some of the most agile and flexible fliers, bats are unique in that they are able to manipulate their wings in a variety of ways, all mid-flight. This versatility is due to a large number of joints in their wings, over 40 in fact. When you factor in the added maneuverability provided by their legs (also attached to the wings) bats have a seemingly unlimited combination of flying techniques.

Though all of these techniques haven’t been reproduced in the flying drone (affectionately called Bat Bot by creators), this unique robot is paving the way for research into drones that may be able to maneuver better in the air and fly just a bit more gracefully.