The Cyborg Beetles Designed to Save Human Lives

In the future, we may have remote-controlled insects to reach places humans cannot. At least that's what Dr. Hirotaka Sato, an aerospace engineer from Singapore, is hoping.

Motherboard went to Dr. Sato's lab in Singapore to take one of his cyborg beetles for a test flight.

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[impoppy]

Imagine aliens controlling us and smashing us into wall then scream "Yes it worked"

[kazoo]

Scientists: Spends thousands of dollars making a cyborg beetle

Some random guy: *steps on it*

[tobias]

*Beetle smashes head into wall*
" it works"

[cctz_]

Anyone else come from the video of some dude adding wires onto a cockroach?





Ok it was more complex than that but

[adolphgracius]

It's all fun and games until someone finds out how to take control over spiders👀👀👀👀

[Chief]

This must be the most terrifying Wii Sports game ever played

[IdoSchacham]

"It struggles but it still obeys" - this is evil

[fantoonstic]

We can rebuild him, stronger, better, faster.
*THE MILLION DOLLAR BEETLE*

[yungchoqquit]

No one is gonna talk about how they used a wii remote?

[afrosamuri]

Yes I will order 1000 please, could you also arm them with turrets that fire poison stingers.

[DaBiggFly]

"For rescue missions" Yeahhhh that's not what this tech is being developed for.

[jpkHouston]

Just to ease anyone's minds. Insects have a very very simple nervous system. This means two things


1. The beetle is unable to feel things like pain due to lack of a complex nervous system
2. Technology like this in humans won't be as easy.

[Brian-Gioia]

"It struggles but it still obeys" "We stimulate for more than seven day and it still obeys" ...wow

[chikannie]

2019..people control bug
3019..people control other people

[bc]

Couldn't this technology be applied to humans? Humans forced to act against their will is a scary thought.

[HBT.]

*beetle doesn't know someone is controling him*

What he thinks "lets fly into this wall"

[doxenking]

I loved the idea when I first heard of it. There is so much progress, good or bad, that can be made. I really don't know what to think of it after having watched the video though. I'm not someone who will abstain from eating animals, but I can take solace in the fact that the animals I eat have a quick and seemingly painless death. I try to purchase free range meat when my budget allows as well, but I'm certainly not an extreme animal activist.
That being said, I don't know how to feel about the cybernetic restructuring these beetles are going through. It truly seems like a fate worse than death, one I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Having your body be piloted while you're still conscious...
Beetles are comparatively a lot simpler in their neurology, but something about that lack of physical control just irks me the wrong way.
I'm not completely opposed to the idea, but I am ambivalent to it.

[realtalkwiththeking]

People don't understand the importance of this. One day people who were paralyzed will be able to move and walk again with this technology. Think about that.

[Lofiheaad]

the main asian dude looks like he tested this on himself a few times

[kangrew]

This is sad in some sense, but these organisms are so simple that they don’t understand that they are being controled