Giant remote-controlled cyborg beetles could replace drones

Daily Telegraph (UK) ^ | 12:00AM BST 30 Mar 2016 | Sarah Knapton

[Olog-hai]

It might sound the stuff of nightmares, but giant cyborg beetles could soon be winging their way to a town near you, after scientists proved they can wire up insects and control them remotely.

Several labs across the world are trying to design robot insect swarms because the creatures are good at getting into nooks and crannies so they could quickly locate earthquake survivors in piles of rubble, carry out surveillance or eavesdrop on criminals or terrorists.

But engineers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of California Berkeley have gone one step further. Instead of creating robots that move like insects, they have shown it is possible to control the actual insects themselves.

Using electrodes and tiny electronic backpacks, the team has shown it is possible to develop a living machine whose flight and walking gait can be wirelessly controlled. The “biobots” could even replace drones as they would be far more agile and need no engineering to keep them in the air. …

[familyop]

Another scary prediction from the Ewe Kay.

[familyop]

And don’t forget to avoid pronouncing your _T_s.

Sound it out now. Thuh Beaohls.

[make no mistake]

Next will be Cyborg Beetle Terminators. That is so creepy.

[blueunicorn6]

And all of the insects were chanting,

“Hope and change! Hope and change!”

[Pollster1]

All that money, and $3.99 will knock out the military's most clever weapon in seconds.

$6.47 will keep it out of a criminal/spy/terrorist/democrat or other American enemy headquarters.

[BigEdLB]

This story bugs me

[Redcitizen]

[teeman8r]

I droveby a catholic school once named for john paul george and ringo, or some thing like that...

[pa_dweller]

Skynet larvae.

[teeman8r]

If only my mom would have let me continue tying string around the necks of cadidids, i might ve designed this back in early seventies...

[alexander_busek]

I, for one, would like to welcome our new Insect Overlords!

Regards,

[henbane]

This giant Weta was found on an island off New Zealand, and it’s one of the few survivors from its species, which were almost wiped out by rats accidentally introduced.

[henbane]

This giant Weta was found on an island off New Zealand, and it’s one of the few survivors from its species, which were almost wiped out by rats accidentally introduced.

[CopperTop]

Art imitates life?