Quite often engineers decide not to invent the bicycle anew, and only to copy the mechanisms which have been already constructed by the nature in the work. For this reason many tiny robots so often remind all known bees or
But, probably, in the future thrones will remind not so much flying beings, how many to be them – to exist more precisely in the form of an UAV and insect hybrid. So, researchers from Laboratory Stark Charles Dreyper (Charles Stark Draper Laboratory) and Hughes Howard (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) developed system DragonflEye within which similarity of a backpack will be put on a live dragonfly.
the Device will allow engineers to operate remotely insects by means of the signals proceeding from the operator, approximately in the same way, as today of the person operates, for example, toy flying helicopter.
"Can tell that we add function of remote control to an insect" — one of authors of the project Anthony Leonardo (
the Purpose of creation of such hybrids will consist in using them as "soldiers". In other words, with their help it is possible
for the purpose of receiving a dragonfly "on the control panel" scientists built in a live individual a new type of the light guide – optrod ( optrode ). They it is much less and more flexible, than optical fibers.
"Transfer of teams to a dragonfly demands p that light was directed on sites of a nerve of the insect which thickness does not exceed scaffold thickness. For this purpose we developed new technology on the basis of specialized optrodov which are very flexible and can install electrical equipment on curved trajectories" — the biomedical engineer and the coauthor of work Jessie Uiler (
However, today far off operated insects do not fly yet, speaks to Leonardo. While researchers work over contact establishment between electronic parts and cells of a brain which are responsible for movement of an insect.
we Will note p that it is far not the first project in which as model for flight the dragonfly is used. The research group TechJet already projected earlier and created the robot dragonfly. As well other teams of scientists developed, for example, soaring UAVs which imitate movements of a dragonfly. Also we will remind, about a mechanical dragonfly from the German company Festo.
to Leonardo'sexplains that they chose a dragonfly as it possesses certain regularities of movement of flight for work, and also it has large neurons with which it is easy to work in laboratory.
according to the expert, they, probably, found a special class of neurons which participate in difficult "steering", namely production capture. Our system "is similar to a remote control a throne" — speaks to Leonardo.
Researchers hope to create such cyborg within a year.
Other experts also try to use optogenetics (when light allows to control work of genes and even the whole neurons) for control of movements of animals. For example, recently researchers from Yale university declared, what they can by means of this method to turn an ordinary mouse into the ruthless hunter .
according to Jessie Uiler, use of a live dragonfly is more effective method, than attempt of creation of the device from electric parts. For the reason that dragonflies possess own "electric food" (wings) and own source of food (flies). Many projects within which scientists tried to create tiny thrones, were displaced sooner or later because of need of creation of tiny batteries.
"The dragonfly will eat and make own energy that is more effective. We should put only in action the navigation system" — Jessie Uiler speaks.
"The technologies developed within the DragonflEye project, also will allow us to study features of flight of insects . Besides, developed optrody can be used by physicians for treatment of patients and their inspection" — Jessie Uiler concludes.
we Will add p, what earlier cockroaches cyborgs who learned