An engineering company has created robotic birds.
Robots
German firm Festo have created the robo-birds, which are able to flutter through the air, glide and direct themselves with a radio system.
A whole fleet of the robots have been unveiled, despite Festo acknowledging that there is no use for them in business yet - although they hope one can be found in the future.
Each device weighs 42 grams - twice as much as a real swallow.
The company explained how they have got the birds to fly realistically using artificial feathers and soft plates covering their bodies.
Festo said: ''The intelligent interaction of motors and mechanics allows the frequency of the wing beat and the elevator's angle of attack to be precisely adjusted for the various manoeuvre.''