At this time of year we see the RC tarantulas (compare prices) on the store shelves. But the U.S. Army could be getting a different sort of radio controlled creepy crawler. The Army's Remote-Controlled Beetle is a real project, using live bugs.
The beetles get a radio receiver, battery, circuit board, and electrode implants that allow the operator to remotely control (via a laptop) its flight. Wow. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is funding the research with the idea that these radio controlled beetles might be used for surveillance or search-and-rescue type missions -- complete with little cameras and heat sensors.
Watch a video of a beetle under remote control. (He's on a tether for testing purposes). They should try this with some of our Texas-sized cockroaches.
Comments
I liked your newsletter comment with this story about how this makes a great case for getting a bug zapper. Yet another way for Big Brother to find out what we’re doing behind closed doors. but I could have had fun with this as a kid spying on MY big brother.