Researchers at Berkeley working with large beetles from Cameroon have developed a way to implant pupae with muscle and neural stimulation systems which will allow remote control of their takeoffs, flights, and landings after they're fully grown.
The work is the first to remotely control an insect and is being done for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which may want the research for its own work on micro air vehicles, such as the Nano Air Vehicle (NAV).
One expert points out how even the largest beetle alive couldn't also hold the GPS circuitry and camera needed for full control. The researchers suggested that inaccessible locations could be reached by the beetles, serving as a courier.
