
China creates cyborg BEES controlling their minds and every movement for secret spy missions
The tiny brain controller weighs just 74milligrams, which researchers say is lighter than a sack of nectar typically carried by a bee.
1
The team from the Beijing Institute of Technology, led by Professor Zhao Jieliang, said the system wires straight into the insects' brains.
While the device is strapped to a bee's back, three needles are pierced into the bee's brain.
Operators can then send electronic pulses into the bee's brain and command it to fly in whichever direction they want.
During tests, published in the Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering, the bees obeyed their operator's commands with 90 per cent accuracy.
It's similar to the so-called "zombie" fungus, cordyceps, which can infect insects and take control of their bodies.
It's this fungus that was famously used as the premise for the zombie virus in the popular 'The Last of Us' franchise.
The sci-fi-like system, first reported by the South China Morning Post, printed the circuits onto polymer film - ultra-thin and flexible films that are used inside electronics.
The team behind the new technology believe swarms of mind-controlled insects could scout areas and help disaster relief operations.
However, they may also usher in a new type of surveillance state where every insect is potentially a spy.
'Insect-based robots inherit the superior mobility, camouflage capabilities, and environmental adaptability of their biological hosts,' Zhao and his colleagues wrote.
They added: 'Compared to synthetic alternatives, they demonstrate enhanced stealth and extended operational endurance, making them invaluable for covert reconnaissance in scenarios such as urban combat, counterterrorism and narcotics interdiction, as well as critical disaster relief operations."
Previously, the lightest bug cyborg controller developed in Singapore was triple the weight.
The device could command beetles and roaches - but the extra weight meant they became tired quickly.
With a more lightweight device, Zhao and his team believe they can better serve as military scouts.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Why are we about to have one of the shortest days ever?
The Earth is currently spinning at its fastest rate since records began, with 5 August predicted to be one of the shortest days ever measured. The shortest day on record occurred on 5 July 2024, measuring 1.66 milliseconds shorter than the average 24-hour rotation. While the Moon's gravity typically slows Earth's rotation, there is no conclusive reason for the current acceleration, though melting polar ice caps are a suggested factor. Scientists have proposed introducing a 'negative leap second' to compensate for the lost time, which would require adjusting all global clocks. This would be the first time a second has been subtracted, raising concerns among experts about potential unprecedented problems for current computing infrastructure.


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Trump administration to supercharge AI sales to allies
July 23 (Reuters) - The Trump administration released a new artificial intelligence blueprint on Wednesday that aims to loosen environmental rules and vastly expand AI exports to allies, in a bid to maintain the American edge over China in the critical technology. President Donald Trump will mark the plan's release with a speech outlining the importance of winning an AI race that is increasingly seen as a defining feature of 21st-century geopolitics, with both China and the United States investing heavily in the industry to secure economic and military superiority. The plan, which includes some 90 recommendations, calls for the export of U.S. AI software and hardware abroad as well as a crackdown on state laws deemed too restrictive to let it flourish, a marked departure from predecessor Joe Biden's "high fence" approach that limited global access to coveted AI chips. "We're establishing a program led by the departments of Commerce and State to partner with industry to deliver secure full-stack AI export packages, including hardware models, software applications and standards to America's friends and allies around the world," said Michael Kratsios, head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. An expansion in exports of a full suite of AI products could benefit AI chip juggernauts Nvidia and AMD (AMD.O), opens new tab as well as AI model giants Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google, Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab, OpenAI and Facebook parent Meta (META.O), opens new tab. Biden feared U.S. adversaries like China could harness AI chips produced by companies like Nvidia and AMD to supercharge its military and harm allies. The former president, who left office in January, imposed a raft of restrictions on U.S. exports of AI chips to China and other countries that it feared could divert the semiconductors to America's top global rival. Trump rescinded Biden's executive order aimed at promoting competition, protecting consumers and ensuring AI was not used for misinformation. He also rescinded Biden's so-called AI diffusion rule, which capped the amount of American AI computing capacity some countries were allowed to obtain via U.S. AI chip imports. "Our edge (in AI) is not something that we can sort of rest on our laurels," Vice President JD Vance said at the event titled "Winning the AI Race," organized by White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks and his co-hosts on the "All-In" podcast. "If we're regulating ourselves to death and allowing the Chinese to catch up to us, that's not something ... we should blame the Chinese for..., that is something we should blame our own leaders for, for having stupid policies that allow other countries to catch up with America," Vance said. The AI plan, according to a senior administration official, does not address national security concerns around Nvidia's H20 chip, which powers AI models and was designed to walk right up to the line of prior restrictions on Chinese AI chip access. Trump blocked the export of the H20 to China in April but allowed the company to resume sales earlier this month, sparking rare public criticism from fellow Republicans. The plan also calls for fast tracking the construction of data centers by loosening environmental regulations and utilizing federal land to expedite development of the projects, including any power supplies. The administration will seek to establish new exclusions for data centers under the National Environmental Policy Act and streamline permits under the Clean Water Act. Trump will incorporate some of the plan's recommendations into executive orders that will be signed ahead of his speech, according to two sources familiar with the plans. Trump directed his administration in January to develop the plan. Trump is expected to take additional actions in the upcoming weeks that will help Big Tech secure the vast amounts of electricity it needs to power the energy-guzzling data centers needed for the rapid expansion of AI, Reuters previously reported. U.S. power demand is hitting record highs this year after nearly two decades of stagnation as AI and cloud computing data centers balloon in number and size across the country. The export expansion plans announced Saturday take a page from deals unveiled in May that gave the United Arab Emirates expanded access to advanced artificial intelligence chips from the United States after previously facing restrictions over Washington's concerns that China could access the technology. The event is hosted by the Hill and Valley Forum, an informal supper club whose deep-pocketed members helped propel Trump's campaign and sketched out a road map for his AI policy long before he was elected.


BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Trump unveils AI Action Plan that aims to clamp down regulations and 'bias'
The Trump administration has unveiled an ambitious roadmap to develop artificial intelligence, pledging to boost US innovation while stripping away what it calls "bureaucratic red tape" and "ideological bias".The 28-page AI Action Plan includes more than 90 policy actions for the rapidly developing technology that administration officials say can be implemented over the next year."We believe we're in an AI race, and we want the United States to win that race," Trump administration crypto czar David Sacks told AI plan promises to build data centre infrastructure, and promote American technology - but was panned by critics who consider it an ideological flex by the White House. The plan, unveiled on Wednesday, calls for federal agencies to review and repeal policies that stand in the way of AI development, and encourage AI development in both government and the private Donald Trump is expected to sign three related executive orders on Wednesday, including one that would accelerate the export of US AI technologies abroad, and one focused on removing "woke" AI and "ideological bias"."American development of AI systems must be free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas," the White House said. "With the right government policies, the United States can solidify its position as the leader in AI and secure a brighter future for all Americans."Crypto czar Sacks added that the plan is partially focused on preventing AI technology from being "misused or stolen by malicious actors" and will "monitor for emerging and unforeseen risks from AI".The Trump administration has positioned the expansion of AI infrastructure and investments in the United States as a way to stay ahead of China."AI is a revolutionary technology that's going to have profound ramifications for both the economy and national security," Sacks said. "It's just very important that America continues to be the dominant power in AI."But critics argued that the plan was a giveaway to Big Tech."The White House AI Action plan was written by and for tech billionaires, and will not serve the interests of the broader public," said Sarah Myers West, co-executive director of the AI Now Institute."[T]he administration's stance prioritizes corporate interests over the needs of everyday people who are all already being affected by AI," West 2023, Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, signed an executive order that called for safety and security standards governing the use of AI in the federal government - an order that was rescinded by Trump on the first day he took office in later, Trump signed an executive order that called for an accelerated AI development, the removal of ideological bias and today's AI action plan, for which it sought public than 10,000 public comments were received in response, according to regulation was also a major sticking point in recent negotiations about Trump's massive budget bill passed by Congress earlier this bill originally included a ten-year moratorium barring states from regulating artificial ultimately stripped that language from the bill. Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.