DARPA Creates Remote Controlled Insects 101
EmagGeek writes "Attempts by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to create cybernetic insects (hybrids of biological and electronic 'bugs') have yielded ultra-low power radios to control the bugs' flight and a method of powering those circuits by harvesting energy, according to research that will be reported this week at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference. 'Electrodes and a control chip are inserted into a moth during its pupal stage. When the moth emerges the electrodes stimulate its muscles to control its flight. I expect a run on bug zappers any day."
It hasn't happened!! (Score:5, Insightful)
What a waste of time. They are presenting papers about what their research goals are. They haven't actually done it yet.
There are other people with research goals to find a cure for cancer....but that's not news.
Re:I, for one, welcome our new Insect Overlords (Score:4, Insightful)
This sounds far too inexpensive to trust our Fearless Leaders with. The only thing that has saved us so far is the cost of deployment.
Yup (Score:0, Insightful)
I can see a huge army of very little soldiers... Well, d'uh! Everything USA gets its hands on will be turned into weapons.
Re:I, for one, welcome our new Insect Overlords (Score:4, Insightful)
Too, DARPA's project seems to be focused on combining bio and electronic/mechanical systems, while BAE's was basically a robot.
Re:So then. (Score:4, Insightful)
It's an implanted device. It can't mutate.
You might as well wonder what will happen if you cell phone mutates.
Re:How will they exploit this against the people? (Score:1, Insightful)
It's easy to call somebody a troll when you have mod points, but it's even easier than that to blindly accept everything you're told.