Military Insect Drone - Insect spy drone A photo shows a tiny insect spy drone that can take photos and DNA samples.
Is this a mosquito? no. It's an insect spy drone for urban areas that's already in production, funded by the US government. It can be controlled remotely and has a camera and microphone. It can land on you and potentially take a DNA sample or leave RFID tracking nanotechnology on your skin. It can fly through an open window or cling to clothing until you bring it home.
Military Insect Drone
One of the areas of research currently underway in the scientific/military world is the development of micro air vehicles (MAVs), which are designed to go places that humans or other types of equipment cannot (safely) go. One of the main intended military applications of MAVs is intelligence gathering (through the covert use of cameras, microphones, or other types of sensors); one of the more extreme applications proposed for such devices is that they could eventually be used as "cluster weapons," Large-scale launch can be carried out at the enemy.
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Some efforts in MAV research have involved trying to mimic flying birds or insects to achieve flight capabilities not possible with other forms of aerial propulsion. In 2007, a bug-like MAV model with a 3 cm wingspan was demonstrated at the 2008 American Robotics Conference. The Air Force released a simulation video showing a micro-air vehicle the size of a bumblebee, and in 2012, Johns Hopkins University engineers were studying butterfly flight to "help small aerial robots mimic those maneuvers."
However, the particular mosquito-like object pictured above is only a conceptual model of the MAV design, and not a photo of an actual working device "already in production." While DNA sampling or inserting tiny RFID tracking devices under a person's skin are MAV applications that may one day be possible, for now this possibility seems more speculative fiction than reality.
It has been claimed that the U.S. government has not only developed insect-like AVMs, but has been secretly using them for domestic surveillance for years:
The US government has been accused of secretly developing robotic insect spies after reports of strange flying objects hovering over anti-war protests. No government agency has admitted to developing insect-sized spy drones, but various official and private organizations have admitted they are trying. But the official acquittal protests have failed to quell speculation of government involvement after multiple sightings of the objects at political events in New York and Washington. [September 2007] Vanessa Alarcon, a college student attending an antiwar rally in the nation's capital, told The Washington Post: "I heard people say, 'Oh my God, look at this.' "I Looking up, I thought, 'What the hell is that? ’ They look like dragonflies or small helicopters. But I mean, those aren't insects. Attorney Bernard Crane, who attended the same event, said he had "never seen anything like it in my life." He added: "They're big for dragonflies. I thought, "Is it mechanical or is it alive?" There were similarities between the incident and the alleged sighting at the Republican National Convention in New York in 2004, when a peaceful marcher described on the Internet that he Saw "a black dragonfly hovering about 10 years ago. A few feet off the ground, in the middle of 7th Avenue." Entomologists believe the objects were indeed dragonflies. Jerry Lawton, an expert at the National Museum of Natural History, said Washington is home to large, beautifully decorated dragonflies that "can knock your eyes off your socks off."
Insect Spy Drone
The technical challenges of creating a robotic insect are daunting, and most experts doubt that a fully functional model exists. "If you find anything, please let me know," said Gary Anderson of the Defense Department's Rapid Response Technology Office. Going from bird size to insect size isn't a simple matter of making everything smaller. "You can't make a traditional robot out of metal and ball bearings, you're just limiting the design," says roboticist Ronald Fearing of the University of California, Berkeley. First, the changes in the aerodynamic rules are so small that the wings need to be flapped in a precise fashion—a huge engineering challenge. Scientists didn't understand how insects fly until recently. Even if the technical hurdles are overcome, insect-sized leaflets are always a high-risk investment. "They could be eaten by birds or caught in spider webs," Professor Flynn said.
Leonard, Tom. "US accused of making spy robots for insects". telegraph. October 10, 2007.
Weiss, Rick. "Washington Buzzed Over Dragonfly Spy Talk". Sydney Morning Herald. October 12, 2007. IEEE is the flagship publication of IEEE, the world's largest professional organization dedicated to engineering and applied sciences. Our articles, podcasts and infographics keep our readers informed about developments in technology, engineering and science.
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Unfortunately, the 1-gram spy craft couldn't stand up to the breeze, but a dragonfly-inspired drone later proved to be much more capable.
It was the 1970s, the Cold War was in full swing, and the CIA Office of Research and Development had developed a miniaturized listening device. But they don't have a good way of moving the device into place without arousing suspicion.
Military Unveils Insect Sized Spy Drone With Dragonfly Like Wings
After abandoning the idea of a mechanical bumblebee, CIA engineers created a prototype dragonfly to carry the bug. The insect-carrying insect, called the Insectotopter, is the agency's first insect-sized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and it appears to show potential. Under ideal conditions, it has a range of 200 meters and a flight time of 60 seconds.
Flight Kit: The Insectotopter's propulsion system is based on tiny fluid oscillators, which move the wings up and down to mimic the flight of a real dragonfly.
Naturally, the CIA engineers were wise to choose Dragonfly. Dragonflies are agile aerialists capable of hovering, gliding and even flying backwards. They can turn 180 degrees in three wing beats. With a 6-centimeter-long body and 9-centimeter wingspan, the winged insect is within the size range of a real dragonfly. Plus, dragonflies are native to every continent except Antarctica, so their presence is unnoticeable, at least during the right season.
A laser beam is directed at a bimetallic strip on the tail of the insect craft to guide the device. The same laser beam serves as a data link for the tiny acoustic sensors on board. A tiny swing motor drives the wings; fuel bladders contain a liquid propellant that, when mixed with an oxidizer, creates extra thrust.
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Unfortunately, even the mildest breeze can blow a 1-gram insect helicopter off course. It is unclear whether laser guidance and datalinks were implemented. Regardless, drones have never carried out actual espionage missions.
Decades later, however, dragonflies remain a popular research model for drones. Beginning in 2005, students at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands created DelFly to compete in the international Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) competition. The original design, with a wingspan of 50 cm and a weight of 21 grams, is not exactly the size of a dragonfly. After a few iterations, the DelFly Micro debuted with a more realistic wingspan of 10 cm and a weight of only 3.07 grams. This robotic dragonfly carries a camera and transmitter to send live video. In 2008, it set a Guinness World Record for the "smallest camera".
The magazine named WowWee's FlyTech Dragonfly one of the best inventions of 2007, although reviews indicated that crosswinds also posed challenges for the little flying machine. With its 20cm translucent wings imprinted with a fake circuit design, an all-white-green body, and bright blue LED eyes, the FlyTech isn't exactly ideal for espionage, but it's proving popular with kids and adults alike.
More recently, engineers have taken a different approach to building better robotic dragonflies. Researchers at Draper and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA
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