Engineers develop cyborg locusts to sniff out explosives
American engineers are working to develop a system of heat-generating “tattoos” that would turn locusts into remote controlled explosive detectors. Electrodes in their brains would then beam information back to their operators, indicating whether or not they had found dangerous substances.
Baranidharan Raman, of the Washington University in St Louis, said animal noses were still far more sophisticated than anything manmade.
“Why reinvent the wheel?" he told the university's Source magazine. "Why not take advantage of the biological solution?”
Animals have long been used to detect explosives.
Bomb sniffing dogs are extremely effective – except in hot conditions when they begin panting. Rats have also been proposed.
But cyborg insects offer several advantages, flying to inaccessible locations and running far less risk of triggering explosions.
No comments:
Post a Comment