Walking Dead Bugs: Stick Insects Turned into Roaming Robots

Insect Cyborgs: A New Stinky Pinnacle of Human Ingenuity

In what one could only describe as a scene from a B-rate sci-fi gore movie, nerds in lab coats are now turning stick insects into cyborgs. These hybrid insect computer robots—or as they like to smear it with elegance—uses electrical stimuli to control an insect’s movement, basically turning the bug into a remote-control car with too many legs. This international research group conducts their experiments by zapping the leg muscles of the terrified insect with the aim of observing the resulting torque.

Comic Book Dreams or Nightmare Fuel?

Not sure if it’s progress or just another reason to question our species’ sanity, but if successful, this may lead to advancements in robotics controlled by electrical stimuli. In theory, it could open up paths for neuromorphic robots, which mimic the neural structure and functionality of a biological brain—making them, perhaps, more adaptable than their conventional counterparts. However, this also feels like an unnecessary step toward a nightmarish dystopia filled with robot insects taking over the planet because some scientists decided it would be a good idea.

Short Buzz: The Implications, Duh

Yeah, yeah, there may be some potential benefits. Controlled insects could be used for everything from disaster recovery to espionage, and the success of the whole project could mean improving our understanding of biological movement and its applications in robotics. However, it’s also worth remembering that messing with nature has a knack for backfiring horrendously.

Hot Take and Closing Thoughts

To sum up, some extremely bored scientists have reached a new high—or should I say low—in human creativity, deciding that tortured stick insects make an exceptional basis for robotics. While this may shed light on some useful tech advancements, maybe stop for a moment to ask: should we? If the movie industry has taught us anything, it’s that messing around with this insect-robot stuff rarely ends with dancing cockroach hoedowns. Good luck sleeping tonight.

Original article:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231004105145.htm