http://www.technolo
Thursday,
January 29, 2009
The Army's Remote-Controlled Beetle
The insect's
flight path can be wirelessly controlled via a neural implant.
By Emily
Singer
A giant flower beetle with implanted electrodes and a radio
receiver on its
back can be wirelessly controlled, according to research
presented this
week. Scientists at the University of California developed a
tiny rig that
receives control signals from a nearby computer. Electrical
signals
delivered via the electrodes command the insect to take off, turn
left or
right, or hover in midflight. The research, funded by the Defense
Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA), could one day be used for
surveillance
purposes or for search-and-rescue missions.
Beetles and
other flying insects are masters of flight control, integrating
sensory
feedback from the visual system and other senses to navigate and
maintain
stable flight, all the while using little energy. Rather than
trying to
re-create these systems from scratch,
<http://www.eecs.
Maharbiz and his colleagues aim to take advantage of the beetle's
natural
abilities by melding insect and machine. His group has previously
created
cyborg beetles, including ones that have been implanted with
electronic
components as pupae. But the current research, presented at the
IEEE MEMS in
Italy, is the first demonstration of a wireless beetle system.
The beetle's payload consists of an off-the-shelf microprocessor, a
radio
receiver, and a battery attached to a custom-printed circuit board,
along
with six electrodes implanted into the animals' optic lobes and
flight
muscles. Flight commands are wirelessly sent to the beetle via
a
radio-frequency transmitter that's controlled by a nearby
laptop.
Oscillating electrical pulses delivered to the beetle's optic lobes
trigger
takeoff, while a single short pulse ceases flight. Signals sent to
the left
or right basilar flight muscles make the animal turn right or
left,
respectively.
Most previous research in controlling insect
flight has focused on moths.
But beetles have certain advantages. The giant
flower beetle's size--it
ranges in weight from four to ten grams and is four
to eight centimeters
long--means that it can carry relatively heavy payloads.
To be used for
search-and-rescue missions, for example, the insect would need
to carry a
small camera and heat sensor.
In addition, the beetle's
flight can be controlled relatively simply. A
single signal sent to the wing
muscles triggers the action, and the beetle
takes care of the rest. "That
allows the normal function to control the
flapping of the wings,"
says
<http://cheme.
Keasling, who was not involved in the beetle research but who
collaborates
with Maharbiz. Minimal signaling conserves the battery,
extending the life
of the implant. Moths, on the other hand, require a stream
of electrical
signals in order to keep flying.
The research has been
driven in large part by advances in the
microelectronics industry, with
miniaturization of microprocessors and
batteries.
Copyright
Technology Review 2009.
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removed]
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