In an attempt to take advantage of the incredible efficiency of natural selection, a team from the Beijing Technological Institute, led by Professor Zhao Jieliang, developed a system that connects directly to insect brain.
The device is fixed to the spine of a bee and three needles pierce your brain and, by electronic pulses, they order it to fly in specific directions. During the tests, bees obeyed these orders 90 % of the time. Before this new advance, the lighter CIBORG controller, developed in Singapore, tripled its weight. That device could control beetles and cockroaches. However, the additional weight meant that they got tired rapidly.
Now, with its lighter device, the Chinese team believes that its system could Allow mentally controlled bees to serve as military explorers. The team published its findings in A study published in Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering.
The device weighs only 74 milligrams, which makes it lighter than a nectar sack that usually wears a bee. Worker bees usually carry nectar bags that weigh approximately 80 % of their body mass. When they are in the air, the hind legs fold to reduce resistance.
The team responsible for this new development believes that Flees of mentally controlled insects could explore areas and help in rescue or help operations In case of disaster.
The new system could remember the Cordycepsthe parasite fungus that “zombifies” insects and takes control of their bodies. Zhao’s team used technology to imitate the function of CordycepsI know used as a premise for the zombie virus in video games and the series The Last of Us.
To do this, they printed polymer film. This movie is as thin and flexible as the wings of an insect, But it is able to house tiny microchips.
During their tests, scientists They got the bees to move in different directions and that the cockroaches draw long predetermined routes.
“Robots based In insects inherit upper mobility, the camouflage capacity and environmental adaptability of its huandBIOL SPRESeitherGicos”, Says the study.
There are still some obstacles: bees require cable food, while cockroaches get tired after 10 system discharges. Battery systems also add weight that would tire of insects. Even so, The team believes that your device could be perfected to allow insects to perform search operations. They could, for example, seek survivors after an earthquake.
While technology could have a positive use, It also raises concerns about the possibility of a new type of surveillance state where each insect is potentially a spy.
“Compared to synthetic alternatives, They demonstrate greater stealth and greater operational resistancewhich makes them invaluable for undercover recognition in scenarios such as urban combat, the fight against terrorism and the interdiction of narcotics, as well as in critical relief operations in case of disaster, ”concludes the study.