Lift-off! Genetically-modified CYBORG dragonflies complete flight tests in a step towards spying missions that will see the tiny insects reach areas that other drones can't

Bad news for me, I seems that the Dragonflies I have been taking pictures of may have also been taking pictures of me.

A genetically modified cyborg dragonfly that can spy on anyone has successfully completed it first test flight.

Dubbed the DragonflEye, the half-insect, half-machine is fitted with a fingernail-sized backpack, powered by a solar panel and remotely controlled by an operator.

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To create the DragonflEye, engineers had to develop a way of genetically modifying the nervous system of the dragonfly so it can respond to pulses of light.

Lift-off! Genetically-modified CYBORG dragonflies complete flight tests in a step towards spying missions that will see the tiny insects reach areas that other drones can't

Cyborg insects are fitted with fingernail-sized backpacks that control them
They contain electronics which then activate a messenger-neuron inside the fly
These neurons carry steering commands to the wings, guiding it on a path
The insects have completed flight tests for the first time in a lab in Virginia

A genetically modified cyborg dragonfly that can spy on anyone has successfully completed it first test flight.

Dubbed the DragonflEye, the half-insect, half-machine is fitted with a fingernail-sized backpack, powered by a solar panel and remotely controlled by an operator.

The dragonfly can be used for 'guided pollination' as well as surveillance missions that will see the tiny insects reach areas that other drones can't, according to researchers.

Engineers had to develop a way of genetically modifying the nervous system of the dragonfly so it can respond to pulses of light.

To do this, the team gave the insect a gene which added light-sensitive proteins called ospins to the neurons.

This then allowed the neurons to be activated by the light – sent by an interface in the 'backpack' called an optrode.

The neurons then kicked into its usual routine of sending signals to the wings to encourage the insect to fly.

Researchers from Draper and Howard Hughes Medical Institute performed DragonflEye flighttests at the Janelia Research Campus in Virginia.

The insect could soon be used to carry payloads, according to Jesse Wheeler, a senior biomedical engineer at Draper which collaborated with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to carry out the DragonflEye program.

The expert told Spectrum iEEE: 'Beyond tracking, the DragonflEye system offers new miniaturized technology to equip a wide range of insects with environmental sensors and potentially guide important behaviors, like pollination.'

To create the DragonflEye, engineers had to develop a way of genetically modifying the nervous system of the dragonfly so it can respond to pulses of light.

To do this, the team gave the insect a gene which added light-sensitive proteins called ospins to the neurons.

Read the article and check out the video here...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4681166/Genetically-modified-CYBORG-dragonflies-complete-test.html

It wont be long now before you will no longer be able to deny the reality of the times we are living in!

Thanks for reading!