FIRST there were spy bees, now there are battle-ready cockroaches.
Technology is changing, and therefore, so is warfare.
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It might feel plucked out of science fiction, but German military tech company SWARM Biotactics is working on cyborg cockroaches that can spy behind enemy lines.
The insects – hailed for being remarkably durable – are equipped with miniature backpacks fitted with cameras and other tools to gather data on enemies in real time.
Human operators will be able to control them by zapping their tiny brains with electrical pulses.
Each zap allows humans to control the insects’ movements remotely, meaning they don’t have to enter hostile environments themselves in order to gather information.
“Our bio-robots – based on living insects – are equipped with neural stimulation, sensors, and secure communication modules,” Swarm Biotactic’s CEO Stefan Wilhelm told Reuters.
“They can be steered individually or operate autonomously in swarms.”
For example, a human-controlled spy cockroach could go on secret spy missions to expose information about enemy positions.
The bio-robotic startup secured €10 million in seed funding last month that will help get its bugs onto the battlefield.
“Conventional systems fail where control is needed most – denied zones, collapsed infrastructure, politically complex terrain,” said Wilhelm.
“SWARM is the first company building an entirely new category of robotics: biologically integrated, AI-enabled, and mass-deployable systems for persistent intelligence in places no drone or ground robot can reach.
“This funding moves us from deep tech to deployment – delivering the infrastructure democracies need to operate more smartly, more safely, and with total tactical awareness.”
But SWARM aren’t the only ones trying to bio-hack insects.
A team of scientists in China claimed they have created the world’s lightest mind control device for bees.
While the device is strapped to a bee’s back, three needles are pierced into the bee’s brain.
Operators can then send electronic pulses into the bee’s brain and command it to fly in whichever direction they want.
During tests, published in the Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering earlier this month, the bees obeyed their operator’s commands with 90 per cent accuracy.
Beyond warfare, mind-controlled bugs could be used to help disaster relief operations.
UKRAINE WAR SHIFT
Wilhelm believes Europe is entering a decade where “access, autonomy, and resilience define geopolitical advantage”.
And Russia’s invasion of Ukraine seemed to spark that shift, dozens of sources from across business, investment and government told Reuters.
Sven Weizenegger, who heads up the Cyber Innovation Hub – the tech accelerator for the German armed forces, said the war in Ukraine removed a stigma towards working in the defence sector.
“Germany has developed a whole new openness towards the issue of security since the invasion,” he told the outlet.
The country has been shaped by the trauma of Nazi militarism and a strong post-war pacifist ethos that has been reflected in its relatively small and cautious defence sector, Reuters noted.
But Germany plans to nearly triple its regular defence budget to around €162 billion ($175 billion) per year by 2029.
Much of that money will go into reinventing the nature of warfare, Reuters reported, citing sources.
Sources also claimed that Chancellor Friedrich Merz sees artificial intelligence (AI) and start-up technology as key to its defence plans.
The German leader is reportedly slashing red tape to connect startups directly to its military.
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