Scientists have created living drones
American specialists from Draper have created equipment that allows you to control live dragonflies. The unit, which transmits commands to the insect and thereby allows you to direct the dragonfly where it needs to be, is located on its back along with a miniature solar panel that provides energy to the entire system.
Dragonfly is one of the most maneuverable flying machines in the world
The live drone was named DragonflEye.
The techies are assisted by doctors from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, who have genetically modified dragonflies - that is, brought out ones that can be effectively controlled.
The essence of the modification: dragonfly neurons were endowed with the ability to respond to light impulses.
From the tiny device developed at Draper, the thinnest light guides are pulled through which scientists transmit control signals to the nerve node of the dragonfly - the one that is responsible for the direction of flight. It has been found.
It is believed that the photonic method is more efficient than the electronic one - the one on which hopes were pinned in previous years. And then they experimented with electrical impulses. However, as it gradually became clear, insects do not react to them adequately every time - as the "operators" would like. Light commands, in this sense, turned out to be more reliable.
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The equipment for controlling the dragonfly is located on its back.
In flight tests, which began recently, dragonflies took off on a signal, as they say, from the ground and flew in the right direction. The next stage is mastering the full range of commands and maneuvers.
In the future, controlled dragonflies can become scouts. Or even saboteurs. These insects are more agile and swift than those that were previously adapted for coercive actions - large beetles and cockroaches. Dragonflies are able to soar into the air and perform aerobatics with an acceleration of 9 G.
Now researchers are trying to determine what the maximum weight a dragonfly can take on board, to what speed it can accelerate.
VLADIMIR LAGOVSKY