Video: DARPA's Remote-Controlled Cyborg Beetle Takes Flight

A new paper explains how they built the zombie insect

By Stuart Fox Posted 09.24.2009 at 12:04 pm 6 Comments

Remote Controlled Cyborg Beetle via Wired's Danger Room

In January, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, told a stunned conference audience that they had managed to create a remote-controlled cyborg beetle by attaching a computer chip to the brain of a giant insect. Now, the paper explaining how they did it has been published in the journal Frontiers In Neuroscience, and they have released a video of the cyber-bug in action.

The cyborg beetle was designed as part of a DARPA project that looks to equip insects with cameras and other sensors in an attempt to turn them into tiny, biological UAVs. The rhinoceros beetle was selected because, as one of the world's largest insects, it could carry the biggest payload.

The video below speaks for itself. Zombified with parts available at Radio Shack, the cyborg beetle flies around the room, controlled by a researcher at a laptop.

The day of military-controlled, giant cyborg insects is upon us. Someone call Godzilla, I think we're going to need some help.

[Frontiers In Neuroscience via Wired's Danger Room]

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6 Comments

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GTO

09/24/09 at 12:53 pm

Want one. or five. Yesterday.

Nice thing about this is that it will still be awhile until researchers and scientists would be able to do this to a human since our brains are far more complex and processes such as motor skills hacking would be extremely difficult to make effective in higher life-forms.

Small, less complex brain; easier to hack.

Now what DARPA Really wants is a hacked wasp that you can replace the naturally occurring venom with a more deadly poison and perform hits on the cheap from the safety of, well, anywhere.

Also cool: somehow modify the attached chip-set to draw power from the host creature. Extend range, capability, and functionality with on-board biological power.

--GTO--

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nineninth

09/25/09 at 1:01 am

Visited this paper's download site.
The movies shown here must be #13.
There are other twelve wow movies available to free-download.
Easy to find. Google "remote radio control of insect flight".

Or click 'Frontiers In Neuroscience' above.

#7 movie was crazy.....

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extremechiton

09/25/09 at 7:12 pm

u cant really power electronic devices with just the brain alone. cuz the brain also has to power the body of the insect first before it has enough electrical power left over to power anything else that was not originally part of the bug itself.

in a way, this would be cool if we could remote control a tarantula and walk it into ur sisters bedroom.

lol that would be great for a show and tell session for 2nd grade.

win first prize in the 5th and 6th grade science fair.

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mjfr226

09/27/09 at 6:54 pm

it's like attaching a radio-controlled collar to a blind horse... that would simulate a horse drawn carriage.

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meyaht

09/28/09 at 12:10 pm

How long until PETA throws a scat-fit about this?

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shmeao22

10/19/09 at 3:59 pm

like extreamechiton said about controloing a tarantula we could also harness their ability to make webs at our control, now everyone knows that their web is i think it was like three times stronger than steal and it would be a visible progect to work on and get rewarding results. though it would take alot of spiders to make any thing seem likable.... see where im going with this....?