Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have developed methods for electronically manipulating the flight muscles of moths and for monitoring the electrical signals moths use to control those muscles.
The advance opens the door to the development of remotely-controlled moths, or "biobots" for use in emergency response, researchers said.
"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 North Carolina State University and co-author of the research paper.
The research presents a technique Bozkurt developed, in conjunction with Dr Amit Lal of Cornell University, for attaching electrodes to a moth during its pupal stage, when the caterpillar is in a cocoon undergoing metamorphosis into its winged adult stage.
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By attaching electrodes to the muscle groups responsible for a moth's flight, Bozkurt's team is able to monitor electromyographic signals - the electric signals the moth uses during flight to tell those muscles what to do.
To give the moth freedom to turn left and right, the entire platform levitates, suspended in mid-air by electromagnets.
"By watching how the moth uses its wings to steer while in flight, and matching those movements with their corresponding electromyographic signals, we're getting a much better understanding of how moths manoeuvre through the air," Bozkurt said.
"We're optimistic that this information will help us develop technologies to remotely control the movements of moths in flight," Bozkurt said.
"That's essential to the overarching goal of creating biobots that can be part of a cyberphysical sensor network," Bozkurt said.