Robotic Bugs Set To Go to Battle

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The New York Sun

LONDON — A swarm of robotic insects is being developed for the military to hunt down enemy fighters in buildings and caves, carry mini bombs, and identify chemical, nuclear, or biological weapons.

They look as though they have crawled from the set of a science fiction film, but the bugs are based on the design and size of real insects, including spiders and dragonflies.

They are to be fitted with cameras, as well as sensors to identify different types of weapon, and can be kitted out with a small payload of explosives. The spider model is similar to that featured in the 2002 sci-fi film, “Minority Report,” starring Tom Cruise, in which robot insects are sent into a building by police to search for a suspect.

The robots are being developed for use by the American military and its allies, including the British Army, by BAE Systems. Prototypes small enough to sit on a fingertip have already been created, including a fly that weighs less than an ounce and has a wingspan of 1.18 in.

Lightweight carbon joints allow the robot to mimic precisely the movements of a real fly, with wings that beat 110 times a second.

The program manager for the project, Steve Scalera, said, “We’re trying to harness nature’s designs. Evolution has done a fabulous job of producing extremely efficient and capable systems. We’re building a collection of miniature robots that can explore complex terrain we wouldn’t normally be able to approach because it is too dangerous.”

The battery-powered insects will not be remotely-controlled by soldiers, but will be fitted with “artificial intelligence” software that lets them operate autonomously, and in teams.


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