DragonflEye consists of a living, slightly modified dragonfly that carries a small backpack of electronics. The backpack interfaces directly with the dragonfly's nervous system to control it, and uses tiny solar panels to harvest enough energy to power itself without the need for batteries. Draper showed us a nifty looking mock-up of what the system might look like a few months ago, but today, they've posted the first video of DragonflEye taking to the air.
The unique thing about DragonflEye (relative to other cyborg insects) is that it doesn't rely on spoofing the insect's sensors or controlling its muscles, but instead uses optical electrodes to inject steering commands directly into the insect's nervous system, which has been genetically tweaked to accept them. This means that the dragonfly can be controlled to fly where you want, without sacrificing the built-in flight skills that make insects the envy of all other robotic micro air vehicles.
[Video]: https://vimeo.com/219709402
[Additional Info and Interview]: For lots more on DragonflEye
(Score: 2) by julian on Friday June 02 2017, @03:35AM (5 children)
I feel like you're asking a biological question while demanding a metaphysical answer which cannot possibly be forthcoming. I don't really care about metaphysics, and I don't think you should either when it comes to this question. Your domains might not be well categorized.
Just extend the the idea to simpler forms of life. Do amoeba suffer? Do Bacteria? Viruses? I said insects suffer *less* than mammals. If you doubt that this is true then you're just being obtuse or incredibly pedantic.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 02 2017, @04:42AM (4 children)
Biologists know about lifeforms about as much as pianists know about wave mechanic. Check yoself.
(Score: 2) by julian on Friday June 02 2017, @04:57AM (3 children)
Please apply this same logic to selecting a car mechanic or heart surgeon so that you will not live long enough to reproduce.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 02 2017, @05:12AM (2 children)
My kids are probably older than you, punk.
(Score: 3, Touché) by julian on Friday June 02 2017, @05:14AM (1 child)
Well hopefully intelligence skips a generation
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 02 2017, @05:39AM
Don't you worry your little biologist head since you won't be reproducing. :)