🐝 China Creates First Cyborg Bee
A team from Beijing Polytechnic University has developed the world's lightest brain controller for bees, weighing only 74 milligrams. The previous similar chip, created by scientists in Singapore, was three times heavier.
📼 How Does It Work?
A thin polymer film with printed microchips is attached to the bee's back. Three electrodes penetrate its brain, sending signals that make the bee turn left, right, fly forward, or backward. In 9 out of 10 cases, the insects obey the commands.
Apart from bees, scientists have also turned cockroaches into cyborgs. Still, they stopped responding properly to signals after just 10 runs with the controller.
However, for autonomous operation, the chip requires a 600 mg battery, which is too heavy for bees. Furthermore, their legs and abdomen do not respond to orders, which restricts mobility.
The researchers plan to improve the accuracy and reliability of control. In the future, these cyber bees could be used as spies or to search for survivors under rubble.
