“Cyborg bees” or “mosquito drones”, the astonishing weapons envisaged by China
In China, a Beijing research center has developed a device to control bees in flight, while another has unveiled its drone, two centimeters long and three centimeters wide. These technologies are intended for dual use—civilian, but especially military.
Instead of pollinating flowers, will bees guide cannons? “At the Beijing Institute of Technology, Professor Zhao Jieliang's team has built the world's lightest insect brain controller,” reports the South China Morning Post (SCMP) . The Hong Kong newspaper describes with disconcerting candor how the device works:
“Attached to the bee's back, the device pierces its brain with three needles. It creates 'illusions' using electronic impulses to control flight: turn left, right, forward, backward.”
And the daily newspaper adds: “Nine times out of ten, the bee obeys.” In Chinese, we speak of “Jiqi Mifeng” , a machine bee – it is therefore a cybernetic organism, or a “cyborg”.
“Robots mounted on these insects inherit the superior mobility, camouflage capabilities and environmental adaptability of their biological hosts,” Professor Zhao explainsin the Jixie Gongcheng Xuebao , or “Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering,” which published the study after a scientific validation review.
To achieve this result, the team of researchers printed circuits on a polymer film, known for its very low density. “Flexible and thin like
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