Robo-moth can't flap, still likes flames

by Paul Miller posted Nov 8th 2007 at 12:11AM

We're no strangers to the use and abuse of insects in the name of science, but we've gotta say that this robo-moth mech is the best example yet. Built by a few mad scientists over at the University of Arizona, robo-moth intercepts signals sent by the moth's eyes to its teensy brain and turns them into movement. The bot can detect where the moth is looking, and turns in that direction. Since moths have quite the fancy pair of preceptors and built-in reflexes, it's going to allow for some pretty complicated actions once scientists figure out how to control more motion than left and right. Researchers are looking down the road to where a moth could act as a disposable bomb-sniffing robot, or where paralyzed humans could more accurately control wheelchairs with their thoughts, but that's all still a ways out.