Implanted electrodes control and monitor moth flight

The work from North Carolina State University could lead to the development of remotely controlled moths, or so-called biobots, for use in emergency response scenarios.

‘In the big picture, we want to know whether we can control the movement of moths for use in applications such as search and rescue operations,’ said Dr. Alper Bozkurt, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper on the work. ‘The idea would be to attach sensors to moths in order to create a flexible, aerial sensor network that can identify survivors or public health hazards in the wake of a disaster.’

According to NCSU, the paper presents a technique Bozkurt developed for attaching electrodes to a moth during its pupal stage, when the caterpillar is in a cocoon undergoing metamorphosis into its winged adult stage. This aspect of the work was done in conjunction with Dr. Amit Lal of Cornell University.