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."
Re:It hasn't happened!! (Score:4, Interesting)
Citation Needed.
FTA:
Boyce Thompson Institute ... presented progress.. describing silicon neural interfaces for gas sensors that were inserted into insects during the pupal phase. ...
Researchers led by DARPA contractor MIT will present a low-power ultrawide-band radio, a digital baseband processor, and a piezoelectric energy-harvesting system that scavenges power from vibrations.
I didn't find a more specific article, but it sounds to me like they've got some working hardware they're going to demo. If I'm reading it wrong, I'd appreciate a better link.
Re:I saw this in a B movie on the sci-fi channel. (Score:4, Interesting)
I hope they can reconstruct my own personal Milla Jovovich from fragment DNA :)
"War of the Coprophages" (Score:1, Interesting)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Coprophages/ [wikipedia.org]
Why Moths? (Score:2, Interesting)
Why the hell are they using moths? If they want to weaponize insects, they should pick something like the honey bee. You only have to control one, make it sting your target, and then the rest of the hive will defensively respond to the sting alarm pheromones.
Or maybe pick a cockroach. Sure they don't do much, but they should be able to survive the nuclear holocaust.
Or pick a social insect like the ant and have it lay a "food here" trail to your enemy's food stockpiles. You control a few hundred ants and manipulate the actions of whole colonies. I think that controlling moths posses a "that's neato" aspect, but controlling a social insect could yield more interesting results.