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 types of weapons, and can be fitted 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 about 28 grams and has a wingspan of 30 millimetres.
Lightweight carbon joints allow the robot to mimic precisely the movements of a real fly, with wings that beat 110 times a second.
Steve Scalera, program manager for the project, said: "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.
"This might mean exploring buildings or caves looking for people inside, searching for dangerous items like munitions, chemical, biological or nuclear substances that might be there."
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. Mr Scalera added: "We don't want to overburden soldiers on the battlefield. These devices can find their own way and work together in teams, much like groups of ants or bees do. But they work for the soldiers, feeding them information.
"… We want to actually put them in the hands of soldiers, who may have a pocketful of them. They can then use them at a moment's notice, to provide additional awareness and to extend the soldier's senses and reach, perhaps to look over a wall or search a building, before breaching it … They will save lives."
The creators also envisage civilian uses for the insects, such as search-and-rescue operations, following building or mine collapses.
The Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology project is being led by BAE Systems and involves scientists at universities across America.
Professor Ismet Gursul, who has been studying insect flight for use in robotics at the University of Bath in Britain, said: "This might seem like science fiction, but it is a process of natural evolution for robots. Engineers are making robots smaller and smaller, because it saves on costs and allows you to make more."
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 types of weapons, and can be fitted 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 about 28 grams and has a wingspan of 30 millimetres.
Lightweight carbon joints allow the robot to mimic precisely the movements of a real fly, with wings that beat 110 times a second.
Steve Scalera, program manager for the project, said: "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.
"This might mean exploring buildings or caves looking for people inside, searching for dangerous items like munitions, chemical, biological or nuclear substances that might be there."
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. Mr Scalera added: "We don't want to overburden soldiers on the battlefield. These devices can find their own way and work together in teams, much like groups of ants or bees do. But they work for the soldiers, feeding them information.
"… We want to actually put them in the hands of soldiers, who may have a pocketful of them. They can then use them at a moment's notice, to provide additional awareness and to extend the soldier's senses and reach, perhaps to look over a wall or search a building, before breaching it … They will save lives."
The creators also envisage civilian uses for the insects, such as search-and-rescue operations, following building or mine collapses.
The Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology project is being led by BAE Systems and involves scientists at universities across America.
Professor Ismet Gursul, who has been studying insect flight for use in robotics at the University of Bath in Britain, said: "This might seem like science fiction, but it is a process of natural evolution for robots. Engineers are making robots smaller and smaller, because it saves on costs and allows you to make more."
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