Professor Hiroshi Ryu of Japan’s Chiba University displays his flying robot, which flaps its wings 30 times per second like a hummingbird, at his laboratory in Chiba city, suburban Tokyo, December 28. The robot, whose development cost has topped 200 million yen (2.1 million dollars), may be used to help rescue people trapped in destroyed buildings or search for criminals.

Japanese researchers said Monday they had developed a “hummingbird robot” that can flutter around freely in mid-air with rapid wing movements.