When Robotics and Flies Meet

          Robotics seems to be the forefront in technological advances and have long been epitomized in science fiction novels and movies. But how does one get to manipulate and duplicate the same mechanics of animals?  It starts by observing the simplest motions ranging from wing movement to blinking eye. In Frankenstein's Cat: Cuddling up to Biotech's Brace New Beasts, Emily Anthes talks about how the government could use "Cyborg Bugs" in many of their operations regarding reconnaissance. Due to their small size, Cyborg bugs would be able to fit through narrow opening and record visuals in order to help close military cases, all while being undetectable.  The military and CIA, as Anthes states in her book, are creating a high demand for such bugs.  These bugs can be used to record fly overs, or on a commercial scale be used as security in a house.  There have been attempts to manipulate the brains of these fruit flies so researchers can choose a select route for flying.

           A recent published article in the New York Times titled "Focusing on Fruit Flies, Curiosity Takes Flight" written by James Gordan focuses on the research of Dr. Michael Dickinson involving flies.   Dr. Michael Dickinson from University of Washington works with fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) to see how they fly.  He focuses on the motions of wing movement through slow motion cinematography.  As a neurologist, Dr. Dickinson main focus is on how the brains of flies relay information to the wings allowing them to fly.  He take brain mapping of flies to see where neuronal activity starts as the wings flap and what parts of the brain are activated to keep them balanced.  Dr. Dickinson's belief is that nothing is simple which is said in reference to people calling small animals simple.  He believes that simplest of creatures present a large scale of complexity which seems true especially when looking at the nervous system.  Hundreds of neurons must fire simultaneously to relay a signal for a single flap of a wing in a single direction.  Many times its hard for biologist to focus on the physics behind motion when talking of muscles but Dr. Dickinson seems to be doing both pretty well. 

           Dr. Dickinson is taking the physics and transferring it to a small scale robotic fly.  He is able to place these flies along with the living creatures to record behavioral activity.  Now imagine if these same flies were to be programed to do what the military wanted.  Such technology would prove beneficial in surveillance and security.  These flies would hardly be seen by individuals being observed.  If living flies were actually being used, brain mapping of flies done with the help of Dr. Dickinson, gives a  chance of manipulating neuronal activity to allow for control over the animal.   As Emily Anthes says in her book, the CIA and military would be all over this kind of technology but the only issue would be distance of travel.  It would be hard for these flies to travel far distances without food if they were alive or battery if they were robots. 

References :

Anthes, Emily. Frankenstein's Cat: Cuddling Up to Biotech's Brave New Beasts. New York: Scientific American / Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2013. Print.

Gorman, James. "Focusing on Fruit Flies, Curiosity Takes Flight." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 7 Oct. In 2013. Web. 7 Oct. In 2013.