Hybrid Insect Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

Hybrid Insect Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (HI-MEMS) is a project of DARPA, a unit of the United States Department of Defense. Created in 2006, the unit's goal is the creation of tightly coupled machine-insect interfaces by placing micro-mechanical systems inside the insects during the early stages of metamorphosis.[1] After implantation, the "insect cyborgs" could be controlled by sending electrical impulses to their muscles.[2] The primary application is surveillance. The project was created with the ultimate goal of delivering an insect within 5 meters of a target located 100 meters away from its starting point.[3] In 2008, a team from the University of Michigan demonstrated a cyborg unicorn beetle at an academic conference in Tucson, Arizona. The beetle was able to take off and land, turn left or right, and demonstrate other flight behaviors.[4] Researchers at Cornell University demonstrated the successful implantation of electronic probes into tobacco hornworms in the pupal stage.[5]