A cyborg beetle takes flight Dr. Li Yao and Prof. Hirotaka Sato, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Here come the cyborg beetles. Electronic-filled backpacks have been used to create controllable flying bio-robots.
Male M. torquata beetles had electrodes implanted into four of their flight muscles. Small electric pulses were then administered to steer them left or right.
Their acceleration could be increased by upping the frequency of the pulses. A 3D motion capture system tracked their position during flight.
The researchers found that when a continuous pulse was applied, the beetles would eventually adapt to the intervention. However, applying two short…
