Cyborg Beetle - Remote Controlled Spy Bees

Technology have advanced a lot many things which are just fictions in James bond movies are becoming real. one of such things in the "Cyborg Beetle - Spy Bee"

A word "cyborg" means an cybernetic organism, an organism that has both artificial and natural systems. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline .

WHO ?

Beetles and other flying insects are masters of flight control, integrating sensory feedback from the visual system and other senses to navigate and maintain stable flight, all the while using little energy.

Michel Maharbiz and his colleagues aim to take advantage of the beetle's natural abilities by melding insect and machine. Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, implanted tiny neural and muscle stimulation systems into small beetles, thus obtaining the possibility to control the insects. The research was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

HOW ?

The beetle's payload consists of an off-the-shelf microprocessor, a radio receiver, and a battery attached to a custom-printed circuit board, along with six electrodes implanted into the animals' optic lobes and flight muscles. Flight commands are wirelessly sent to the beetle via a radio-frequency transmitter that's controlled by a nearby laptop. Oscillating electrical pulses delivered to the beetle's optic lobes trigger takeoff, while a single short pulse ceases flight. Signals sent to the left or right basilar flight muscles make the animal turn right or left, respectively.

WHY beetle ?

Beetles have certain advantages. It can carry relatively heavy payloads. Beetle's flight can be controlled relatively simply. A single signal sent to the wing muscles triggers the action, and the beetle takes care of the rest. Minimal signaling conserves the battery, extending the life of the

implant.

USE ?

To be used for search-and-rescue missions, the insect would carry a small camera and heat sensor.

Wide use in the military field, where scientists would develop military cyborg beetles that would work as spies.