The US Army is sponsoring research to build a bat-like, six-inch robotic spy plane dubbed “the bat” that will use quantum-dot solar cells for power and have an autonomous navigation system that’s 1,000 times smaller and more energy-efficient than current systems.

The bat will use low-power miniaturized radar and a very sensitive night navigation system. It will recharge its lithium battery by energy-scavenging from solar, wind, vibration and other sources.