Radio-controlled cyborg beetle

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    Employees of Berkeley (California), led by engineer Michael Maharbiz, showed how to control the flight of a living beetle on the radio, "equipping" the insect with a small set of electronics. The species of Mecynorrhina torquata or Bronzovka acted as experimental bugs . A large insect weighing 8-10 grams can reach a length of 80 mm and freely carry a load equal to about 20% of its body weight. The scientific work is called " Deciphering the Role of a Coleopteran Steering Muscle via Free Flight Stimulation " and is published in the journal Current Biology.

    The principle of controlling the flight of a beetle is based on electrical stimulation of one of the muscles in its body - the third axillary scleritis. Scientists previously believed it was designed to fold the wings of an insect when it stops flying. After the experiments, a different role of this muscle was discovered - with the help of it, bronzia control their flight along the trajectory they need. In 2009, the same team of researchers was able to get a simpler behavior from the bug. He could start flying and just fly up and down. Now, with the help of electrical stimulation of another pair of muscles, biologists can control the flight of a beetle along a complex path with high accuracy.



    The “equipment” of the beetle consists of a microcontroller with integrated receiver and transmitter. The electrodes were implanted into the optical lobes of the brain and the muscles that control the flight. Energy for control is taken from a 3.9 V lithium battery. The weight of the entire electronic unit was approximately 1.5 grams. The controller can change the frequency of electrical impulses, due to which the degree of muscle tension of the insect changes, and it in turn changes the direction of flight.

    The purpose of such research is twofold. In addition to the obvious information from the anatomy of insects, in this way, researchers are trying to understand the principle that would allow the construction of complex insectoids. Instead of creating truly microscopic drones or even cybernetic insects, it’s much cheaper to implant ready-made electronic components for living beetles. They can fulfill both a peaceful role and various military tasks: surveillance or covert intelligence. Employees at Backyard Brains startup on Kickstarter have

    previously come up with similar ideas . Anyone could buy a ready-made cyborg cockroach, which can be controlled from the screen of a smartphone as a toy. Pleasure was worth $ 150.

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