Dayton, Nov 22: If only we could be a fly on the
wall when our enemies are plotting to attack us. Better yet,
what if that fly could record voices, transmit video and even
fire tiny weapons?
That kind of James Bond-style fantasy is actually on
the drawing board. US military engineers are trying to design
flying robots disguised as insects that could one day spy on
enemies and conduct dangerous missions without risking lives.
"The way we envision it is, there would be a bunch of
these sent out in a swarm," said Greg Parker, who helps lead
the research project at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in
Dayton. "If we know there's a possibility of bad guys in a
certain building, how do we find out? We think this would fill
that void."
In essence, the research seeks to miniaturise the
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle drones used in Iraq and Afghanistan
for surveillance and reconnaissance.
The next generation of drones, called Micro Aerial
Vehicles, or MAVs, could be as tiny as bumblebees and capable
of flying undetected into buildings, where they could
photograph, record, and even attack insurgents and terrorists.
By identifying and assaulting adversaries more
precisely, the robots would also help reduce or avoid civilian
casualties, the military says.
Parker and his colleagues plan to start by developing
a bird-sized robot as soon as 2015, followed by the
insect-sized models by 2030.
The vehicles could be useful on battlefields where the
biggest challenge is collecting reliable intelligence about
enemies.
"If we could get inside the buildings and inside the
rooms where their activities are unfolding, we would be able
to get the kind of intelligence we need to shut them down,"
said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Lexington
Institute in Arlington, Virginia.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, November 22, 2008, 00:00