The next time you see a moth, dragonfly, or other winged insect, go in for a closer look. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been developing insect cyborgs for the past seven-plus decades, and a recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from San Jose State University Lecturer Dr. Susan Maret’s blog “secrecy {fragments}” shows just how sophisticated these futuristic, dystopian bug drones have become.

Over a year after Maret’s FOIA request, DARPA sent back 88 pages, most of which were Powerpoint slides. Since the 1940s, DARPA’s toiled to develop Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) and Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS). It didn’t take long for engineers to realize that the key to effective MAVs was right in front of their eyes: Nature’s own insects — and, in some cases, winged mammals — were ideal case studies to be mimicked and, in some designs, enslaved. These engineers, along with DARPA’s numerous contractors and subsidized academic institutions, began developing HI-MEMS — Hybrid Insect Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems.

Yikes.
Yikes.

In the paper’s conclusion, the authors write: “We also showed down-and up-stroke actuation of each wing separately, through which we were able to affect the flight direction of Manduca sexta. This work paves the way for future engineering approaches to utilize the bioelectronic interfaces, especially for realizing insect cyborgs.” In the acknowledgements, the researchers thank DARPA’s HI-MEMS program for single-handedly footing the bill.

Eight years have passed since these researchers’ insect cyborgs first took flight. It could well be that these cyborg bugs already fly among us, or patrol far-off battlefields. Or maybe they remain an unfulfilled prophecy. Regardless, like the cicadas, they’re bound to rise soon enough.

Photos via bkofsecrets