Scientists have created a cyborg dragonfly

Usually at the word “cyborg” we represent Arnold Schwarzenegger in a stylish jacket or, as a last resort, Jean-Claude Van Damme from Universal Soldier. But life sometimes surprises harder than science fiction films: scientists have made a cyborg from an ordinary dragonfly. And filmed her flight on video!

Researchers at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) experimented with the insect. During the project, which started in early 2017, they learned how to control the flight of a live dragonfly. To do this, they had to put on a small backpack. No, this is not a jetpack with laser guns that turns a dragonfly into a fast-flying combat vehicle, but only a device that transmits light pulses to certain neurons of her brain. Thus, the dragonfly flies where it is needed. This method of controlling someone else’s brain is called optogenetics.

By the way, experiments on managing insects have been going on for a long time. Cockroaches and locusts also experienced interference in their brains. Scientists are confident that work in this direction will allow the use of dragonflies and other insects to scout territories, deliver cargo and regulate pollination.