Researchers finally confirmed that that they are able to create a robot that can mimic the capability of insects not only to fly, but also walk and jump on water. The group composed of scientists from Seoul and Harvard universities was able to construct the miniature machines that can move around water with ease seen only in water striders. The arduous research process behind the robot development has been reported by HNGN earlier. The announcement, however, is expected to raise concerns in some sectors about its implication on privacy and security.
"They would have use in surveillance, search and rescue missions and environmental monitoring," The Examiner learned. These utilities fuel fear for those concerned about government surveillance and personal privacy. The size and capability to move around different types of environment, including water, falls within the issues that people find disturbing. This brings to mind robotic technologies, for instance, in fiction literature that are used to spy on people and inflict poison on unsuspecting targets, leaving very little trace in the process.
The team behind the robotic insect insists that the robots are not carrying surveillance devices, according to The Verge. However, the scientists are still continuing with the research and development so that the robotic insects would be able to carry electronics, according to Live Science. This can give credence to the suspicion that the researchers could be building insect drones and even cyborg bugs.
A military operation can be carried out covertly since most of the working miniature robotic insects today - also called micro air vehicles in military parlance - cannot be detected with the naked eye at a quick glance, Uber Gizmo reported.
Network World has asked the question that represents the general concern for the cyborg bug: What if these robotic insects that could "covertly drop a mysterious and unspecified tracking 'dust' onto people, allowing them to be tracked from a distance," were deployed not in the midst of enemies, but in America?
