Cyborg insects, neural interfaces and other things: Building interfaces between the synthetic and the multicellular

Abstract

In the original demonstration of insect flight control [2,4], flight initiation, cessation and elevation control were accomplished through neural stimulus of the brain which elicited, suppressed or modulated wing oscillation. Turns were triggered through the direct muscular stimulus of either of the basalar muscles. We characterized the response times, success rates, and free-flight trajectories elicited by our neural control systems in remotely controlled beetles.