Flies That Spy

[Hotspring 44]

Careful — the bug buzzing around your desk may be a new unmanned aerial surveillance system of a sort. The nervous systems of green June beetles and a larger African species have been outfitted with electrodes and radio antennae, transforming them into remotely-controlled cyborg insects. Watch how University of California, Berkeley, engineers radio-control flight movements. Solar cells and piezoelectrics are being tested to power these winged scouts. 40 second video.