Radio-Controlled Cyborg Beetles Become Reality

"..They had to use the less-than-inconspicuous giant beetles..."

Face it, folks, a pure robot "insect" has every advantage over this crude and cruel and unusual line of research.

- A robot insect can be made way smaller than this: no need for an electrode-friendly bigger brain

- A robot insect can be made to look like a real one, if you like, for camo. The giant beetle is a loser, unless you are planning a Hitchcock flick "in which animals suffered in the making of this film..." or you hope to terrorize the enemy with a swarm...

- A robot insect can be easily programmed for sniffer applications using sensor tech - to look for bomb materials for example, and key in on them. A useful program for an "autonomous" function with real applications. Way easier than trying to program a living beetle to do such a thing.

- A robot insect can be programmed to return to base when batteries need to recharge, or to seek a charger package that has been dropped in the area for this purpose, to recharge and carry on. Contrast "turn your beetle around by remote hand held steering" when (a) batteries for data back are run down or (b) animal is flying out of range of your forward telemetry transmitter... ooops.

- A robot insect feels no pain. It is not vulnerable to a can of Raid. It is more physically durable than a living insect. It's use is not ethically repulsive to anyone.

What do you think, American friends? Is your taxpayer dollar well spent by the DARPA?

Am I cynical to rant about this, or to sense disinformation and 'decoy' ?

But you miss the obvious potential for the next step...

...controlling people.