DARPA Creates Remote Controlled Insects

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."

Comments

It hasn't happened!!

[Marc_Hawke]

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

[conureman]

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

[Anonymous Coward]

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

[thePowerOfGrayskull]

Hm, not sure how this is a dup? Original article said what BAE systems were working on in the UK (but did not even have a working prototype of); this article says what DARPA and Boyce are working on in the US (but also no working prototype).

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.

[geekoid]

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?

[Anonymous Coward]

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.