Scientists Bioengineered Cyborg Bees They Can Control Remotely

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Chinese scientists have created cyborg bees they can control remotely like a drone. They can also be fitted with surveillance devices like cameras, sensors, and microphones that can potentially be used for spying on people.

The scientists also noted that these cyborg bees will also be useful in less clandestine situations such as searching for survivors of natural disasters like earthquakes. That, however, is not the application that will bring in the most revenue, or the one that has people worried. The ability to create a surveillance state where every insect could potentially be spying on people is of great concern.

Cyborg bees?

Bees are just about the perfect vehicle for surveillance. Worker bees can carry 80 percent of their body weight and can fly up to three miles without stopping. And now, a team of scientists at the Beijing Institute of Technology have figured out how to turn them into what is essentially their own personal drones.

The scientists have created these cyborg bees by attaching the world’s smallest mind-control device (74 milligrams) to the insects. The device is attached to a bee’s back and pierces the bee’s brain with three needles. Then, the bee is fed illusions with electronic pulses that make it turn, advance, and retreat. And it is very effective too. It worked 90 percent of the time in testing.

In similar testing earlier this year, Japanese scientists were able to control cicadas using electrical signals. The United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is also conducting research in this area, as are researchers in Singapore who have already used mind control tech on beetles and cockroaches.

What the scientists are saying

“Insect-based robots inherit the superior mobility, camouflage capabilities and environmental adaptability of their biological hosts,” Professor Zhao Jieliang and the team of scientists wrote in their report published in the Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering. “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.”

Unfortunately for the scientists, as of now, this only works when the device attached to the bees is running on wired power. The lightest battery currently available weighs 600 milligrams, too heavy for a bee to carry.

“In future research, precision and repeatability of insect behavior control will be enhanced by optimizing stimulation signals and control techniques,” they scientists wrote.

They further explained, “Concurrently expanding functional modules of the control backpack will improve environmental perception capabilities of insect-based robots, advancing their deployment in complex operational settings such as reconnaissance and detection missions.”