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Comments on Hybrid Insect MEMS Sought By DARPA For Bug Army
DARPA rejects previous efforts and exhorts scientists to really think different in it's insect cyborg army idea. (Read
the complete story)
| "There must be a limit to the size of the insect they can use; when the first RoboRoach was created, they had to use a big cockroach to be able to carry the necessary electronics on its back." ( 3/15/2006 10:01:00 PM) |
| "What about the cockroach in fifth element the bad guy used to eaves drop on the president? (it got squashed)" (Bajab 3/17/2006 5:17:04 AM) |
| "MEMS is microscopic. basically, they are talking about making an IC that is part of the bug, (like a layer of skin) instead of the conventional method of attaching a circuit with several large parts and ICs to the outside of the bug like a backpack" (ashley 3/18/2006 8:08:24 PM) |
| "There is no picture because DARPA is just now soliciting proposals on how to do this." (Bill Christensen 3/30/2006 12:59:17 PM) |
| "in re combining natural forms such as insects with mechanics, what about the prevalence in sci-fi of living spaceships? organizsm that drive thesmelves but have the structure and function of spacecraft _ with or without an auxliary driver intelelct or entity, such as Pilot in Farside or the brain-spaceship combination in a number of stories? of course, this isn't miniaturization such as with DARPA's insects, but it's growing the combination in a "natural" form." (earsz 5/11/2006 12:31:40 PM) |
| "Just like with the honeybees, one of the primary roadblocks for this technology, apart from the electromechanical innovations required, is the power of instinct. Not only would it be no doubt at times be sending contradictory (to the control signal..)impulses, the instincts could, theoretically,be manipulated to redirect the unit. It is fascinating, however. " (bobbybrady 2/8/2008 5:55:26 AM) |
| "bobbybrady- It turns out that Thomas Easton, the prof who wrote Sparrowhawk, thought about it, too. He's suggested that moths (for example) could be genetically modified to keep some of their natural impulses under control. Another approach would be to take advantage of their natural drives. 'Moths are extraordinarily sensitive to sex attractants, so instead of giving bank robbers money treated with dye, they could use sex attractants instead,' said Easton. 'Then, a moth-based HI-MEMS could find the robber by following the scent.'" (Bill Christensen 2/8/2008 3:48:02 PM) |
| "earsz - don't forget about the enormous Templar treeships from Dan Simmons' 1989 novel Hyperion." (Bill Christensen 2/8/2008 3:51:53 PM) |
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