Engineers from the Beijing Institute of Technology, Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences have demonstrated that stimulating specific areas of the brain with implanted electrodes can precisely control a honeybee’s flight. The study was published in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems.
The study’s authors demonstrated the effectiveness of pulsed electrical stimulation for controlling the flight of the optic lobes of a honeybee’s brain. Engineers also investigated the effectiveness of various stimulation parameters. By optimizing these, they were able to achieve an average of 87% successful flight control when the bee was completely immobilized and 50% when allowed to crawl. The effectiveness of the steering was tested by scientists in a special magnetic levitation system.
They have long tried to make controlled cyborgs from bees and other insects. Compared to the artificial microplane, they show an extraordinary advantage: they can hide, can adapt to unstructured environments, have low power consumption and have sensors ready for most stimuli. Honey bees can reach a flight speed of 20-40 km/h, which is equivalent to the speed of a bus. To take full advantage of them, you need a highly efficient and reliable flight control system.
Cyborg beetles can fulfill predestined tasks for military intelligence and aid in the research and even conservation of biodiversity. In the future, the authors plan to increase the carrying capacity of the bees, which currently limits the size and weight of the artificial stimulation module.