A bee collecting nectar from a flower. Getty Images
A team of scientists at the Beijing Institute of Technology has developed the world’s lightest insect brain controller.
The device weighs a tiny 74 milligrams, making it lighter than a sack of nectar typically carried by a bee.
The team behind the new development believes fleets of mind-controlled insects could scout areas and help disaster relief operations, according to a report from the South China Morning Post.
China’s cyborg bees
Worker bees typically carry nectar sacks weighing roughly 80 percent of their body mass. When in the air, they tuck their hind legs to reduce drag.
In a bid to harness the incredible efficiency of natural selection, a team from the Beijing Institute of Technology, led by Professor Zhao Jieliang, developed a system that wires right into insects’ brains.
The device is strapped to a bee’s back. Three needles pierce the bee’s brain, and electronic pulses then command it to fly in specific directions. During tests, the bees obeyed these commands 90 percent of the time.
Prior to this new advancement, the lightest cyborg controller, developed in Singapore, was triple the weight. That device could command beetles and roaches. However, the extra weight meant they became tired quickly.
Now, with their more lightweight device, the team from China believes its system could allow mind-controlled bees to serve as military scouts. The team published their findings in a paper published on June 11 in the Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering.
The new system might remind some readers of cordyceps, the parasitic fungus that “zombifies” insects and takes control of their bodies.
Zhao’s team effectively used technology to imitate the function of cordyceps, which was famously used as the premise for the zombie virus in the video games and series ‘The Last of Us’.
For their sci-fi-like system, the team printed circuits on polymer film. This film is as thin and flexible as insect wings, but it is capable of housing tiny computer chips.
During their tests, the scientists were able to make bees move in different directions and roaches trace long pre-determined paths.
“Insect-based robots inherit the superior mobility, camouflage capabilities, and environmental adaptability of their biological hosts,” wrote Zhao and his colleagues.
A few hurdles do remain: bees require wired power, while roaches tire after 10 zaps from the system. Battery systems also add weight that would tire the insects. Still, the team believes their device could be refined to allow insects to perform search operations. They could, for example, search for survivors after an earthquake.
While the technology could be used for good, it also raises concerns over the potential for a new type of surveillance state where every insect is potentially a spy.
“Compared to synthetic alternatives, they demonstrate enhanced stealth and extended operational endurance, making them invaluable for covert reconnaissance in scenarios such as urban combat, counterterrorism and narcotics interdiction, as well as critical disaster relief operations,” the researchers added in their paper.
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