TINY flying machines with “insect wings” could become reality thanks to pioneering research being carried out in Oxford.

Experts believe the devices, once fitted with cameras, could have a range of uses from military surveillance to adding an extra dimension to television coverage of sport.

A team led by Dr Richard Bomphrey of Oxford University’s Department of Zoology is carrying out studies of insects’ behaviour and combining their findings with micro-engineering in a bid to bring the technology to life.

The key is mastering a flapping mechanism for the wings that will give the machine thrust and lift, cutting the need for a large engine and allowing machines to be much smaller than current unman-ned surveillance aircraft.

Dr Bomphrey said: “Tiny flying machines could provide the perfect way of exploring all kinds of dark, dangerous and dirty places.”

The team’s groundbreaking work has attracted the attention of Nato, the US Air Force and the European Office of Aerospace Research and Development.

Dr Bomphrey said: “Nature has solved the problem of how to design miniature flying machines. By learning those lessons, our findings will make it possible to aerodynamically engineer a new breed of surveillance vehicles that, because they’re as small as insects and also fly like them, completely blend into their surroundings.”

Dr Bomphrey, 33, said a key task was to understand the variety of wing designs from bees to locusts and how they are adapted to different tasks.

He added: “It means that new vehicles could be customised to suit particular uses, ranging from exploring hostile terrain, collapsed buildings or chemical spills to providing enhanced TV coverage of sports and other events.”

The £1m research project is being supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, based in Swindon, and uses the latest computer modelling and camera equipment combined with the study of insects in different situations.

The research is expected to produce findings that can be adopted by the defence industry within five years, leading to development and deployment of insect-sized flying machines within 20 years.