Scientists at the Beijing Institute of Technology have developed the world’s lightest brain chip designed for insects, weighing only 74 milligrams—lighter than the nectar loads bees typically carry. This groundbreaking device enables direct mind control of honeybees by sending electrical signals into their brains through three microscopic needles. Once attached to a bee’s back, the chip allows researchers to command the insect’s flight path with remarkable precision—achieving directional control accuracy rates of up to 90 percent during testing.
Inspired in part by the parasitic fungus cordyceps—which hijacks insect behavior in the wild—this new chip functions like a synthetic version of nature’s own neurological override. The technology mimics the fungus’s eerie control but replaces biology with ultra-thin printed circuits, flexible enough to move with the insect’s body and light enough to avoid impeding flight.
The researchers, led by Professor Zhao Jieliang, believe their “cyborg bees” could have a wide range of real-world applications, from military reconnaissance missions in hostile terrain to post-disaster search-and-rescue operations in areas too dangerous or inaccessible for human crews or machines. Previous cyborg insect experiments used heavier chips that quickly exhausted the animals. But the Beijing team’s ultra-light design could allow longer missions with less fatigue.
There are still challenges ahead: bees currently require wired power to function, and roaches controlled with similar chips were only able to handle a limited number of commands before tiring. Battery weight remains a key obstacle. Still, the breakthrough represents a major step in the field of insect-machine hybrid robotics. If refined further, fleets of mind-controlled insects could soon serve as intelligent, biologically integrated tools in both civilian and defense operations.
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