The rantings of Craig Chapman, Computer Forensics Geek.

Now I don’t know about you, but this latest story on moths being bred with inbuilt remote sensing chips is bordering on the ridiculous, for a whole lot of reasons.

When I grew up watching Star Trek, the nasty ‘cyborgs’ were the ugly dudes with flesh growing around computer parts. The Cyborgs certainly weren’t moths (how uncool would that have been?). But, a mob of big-brained, cutting edge defence scientists, known as The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is apparently growing computer chips around insects for use in warfare surveillance. An ‘insect-cyborg’, they’re calling it.

Now I know what you’re thinking. You’ve gotta be kidding, right ?
No way, my cyborg friends. This is science-reality, not science fiction. The big-heads at ‘DARPA’, as they are known, are implanting computer chips in moths while still in the pupa stage. The moth grows around the chip and its nervous system can be controlled by a remote control.

Trotting out yet another sexy, defence techie acronym, the project is affectionately called the ‘Hybrid Insect Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems’ (HI-MEMS) and it also includes outfitting other insects with miniscule sensors and a wireless transmitter which could send data from places inaccessible to humans.

“It is hoped by DARPA, that one day, a sensor-enabled insect with a 100-yard range could be placed within five meters of a target using electronic remote control and, potentially, Global Positioning System technologies.” From: http://government.zdnet.com/?p=3189

Now for the best bit: “Ultimately, the moth will be able to land in enemy camps in remote locations undetected and be able to beam video and other information back via what its developers refer to as a “reliable tissue-machine interface.” I say, stuff the enemy camps – I can think of a *far* greater application of this technology. Lets just say that I hope Paris Hilton’s bedroom windows have lousy flyscreens.

According to zdnet: “This latest development will allow the moth cyborgs to spy on enemy insurgents, and is the most advanced robotic technology ever conceived by DARPA.” Latest technology? Perhaps. A great idea doomed to failure ? I believe so.

In line with (much loved) rantings of Bruce Schneier http://www.schneier.com, the most advanced technology can often be defeated by the simplest and cheapest of means. So I have two words for the big tech-heads and their multi million dollar Hi-Mems cyborg insect project at DARPA….. ‘Pea-Beau’.

More articles on moth cyborgs:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,276182,00.html