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China Develops World's Lightest Mind-Controller 'Cyborg Bee' for Insect Navigation.

Science and Technology | Dated: 16 Jul 2025

In July 2025, researchers from the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), China, led by Professor Zhao Jieliang, have successfully developed the world’s lightest brain-control device, named Cyborg Bee, weighing just 74 milligrams (mg). This device enables direct navigation of bees using brain stimulation and opens up new possibilities in micro-robotics and surveillance.

🎯 Key Highlights:

  • - The Cyborg Bee device is mounted directly on the back of a real bee and interfaces with the insect's nervous system through three ultra-thin electrodes that are inserted into the bee’s brain. These electrodes transmit precise electrical pulses that generate sensory illusions, manipulating the bee’s movement in mid-air, including turning, moving forward, or reversing.
  • - The invention was formally documented in the Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering, highlighting its experimental validation across nine different pulse patterns. These patterns were synchronized with behavioral responses in both bees and cockroaches, showing consistent command-response accuracy in controlled settings.
  • - During trials, bees equipped with the device could be directed while flying, and cockroaches responded to commands by walking in pre-defined paths with minimal deviation, demonstrating the platform’s versatility across multiple insect species.

💡 Other Important Facts:

  • (i) The Cyborg Bee technology is expected to have important applications in search and rescue missions, environmental monitoring, military spying, and hazardous inspections, particularly in areas where conventional drones are inefficient due to size, noise, or restricted access.
  • (ii) The researchers emphasized that the device’s ultra-lightweight (74 mg) allows for minimal disruption to natural bee behavior, overcoming previous challenges faced by heavier brain-interface devices that interfered with insect flight balance or control.
  • (iii) This development marks a significant milestone in neuro-controlled biohybrid robotics, where living organisms are used as carriers for technological payloads, offering a low-energy, silent, and maneuverable alternative to traditional machines in narrow or sensitive environments.

📚 Test Your Knowledge:

Which device was recently developed by Chinese scientists as the world's lightest brain-control system for insect navigation?

Correct Answer: Cyborg Bee

🚀 Quick Recap:

About China

  • President: Xi Jinping
  • Official languages: Mandarin, Putonghua