Chinese scientists develop cyborg bee that obeys commands: Check details

A team led by ProfessorZhao Jieliang at theBeijing Institute of Technology (BIT) has built the world’s lightest insect brain controller, which can be strapped to a bee's back. The device, at 74 milligrams, is lighter than a sack of nectar bees normally carry. It attaches to the brain of the insect with three needles and makes it follow directional commands using electronicpulses. During testing, the bee obeyed nine out of 10 times.

The study was published in the Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering. Thecyborg bee could serve as military scouts or search for survivors in the ruins of an earthquake, according to the peer-reviwedpaper.

"Insect-based robots inherit the superior mobility, camouflage capabilities, and environmental adaptability of their biological hosts," wrote Zhao and his colleagues, according to the South China Morning Post.

The device can be used forreconnaissance in urban combat, counterterrorism, and narcotics detection. Before this, the lightest cyborg controller was developed in Singapore which was three times this device's weight. It could be used on insects like beetles and cockroaches. However, unlike bees, they moved at slower speeds and didn't have enough endurance.

The innovation, however, isn't without its flaws. Bees currently need wired power, and cockroaches get tired very early. For the device to be effective, a long-lasting battery would be needed, which would turn out to be too heavy for a bee.

“In future research, precision and repeatability of insect behaviour control will be enhanced by optimising stimulation signals and control techniques,” wrote Zhao’s team.