Researchers develop moth-controlled robotic vehicle
Researchers from the University of Arizona have developed a new kind of robotic vehicle, known as Mothbot or robo-moth, which is totally controlled by a moth. The robotic vehicle does use the electrical impulses of a moth for its movement.
Mothbot is guided by moth's eyes and brain. It receives electric signals sent through moth's eyes and turn them into movement. It can notice where the moth is eyeing and accordingly change its direction.
The moth brain is tiny, to say the size of a grain of rice. With this tinny brain, the moth can detect motion of any object around the world.
Charles Higgins who pioneered project pairing with electric engineer Timothy Melano used tobacco hornworm moth for this latest robotic vehicle, which can provide vital inputs to the future researchers to develop robots that can enable paralyzed who lost their limbs to get back the capability to move.
It can also be useful for the development of machines that can see and smell the world like living beings. I mean disposable bomb-sniffing robots.
Via: Technovelgy
