Remote controlled beetles.  Remote. Controlled. Beetles.  This should clearly be a class project.

For a while now, lots of researchers have been trying to create flying robots that emulate beetle flight, but the robots can't fly for more than a few minutes on their batteries, because they're not efficient enough.  Finally, some researchers at UC Berkeley decided to stick a microcontroller on a beetle and take advantage of the fact that they've been becoming more efficient over millions of years.  They actually used a variety of different beetles, ranging in size from 2 cm to 20 cm.  During the pupal stage, nerve and muscle stimulators, a microcontroller, and a battery are attached to the beetle.  When it becomes an adult, the researchers were able to remotely cause it to take off, turn in flight, and land.  Apparently, they're also doing similar experiments with moths, flies, and dragonflies.
You can watch the videos that have been posted, or read the paper.