The Cyborg Revolution: How Insect Robotics Are Redefining Surveillance, Agriculture, and Medicine

The development of insect robotics has followed a clear evolutionary arc, beginning with biologically integrated platforms and progressing toward fully synthetic systems inspired by natural models. This trajectory reflects not only technological innovation but also a growing understanding of how to best harness the strengths of biological and artificial components.

In the past researchers have experimented with honeybees, beetles, cockroaches, moths, locusts and dragonflies. Based on the insect selected, researchers then connect electrodes to the insect’s muscles, nerves, antennae or brain to manipulate movement. For example, researchers working with cockroaches clip the insect’s antennae and attach electrodes to direct their movement. In experiments using other insects, researchers pierce the creature’s exoskeleton and implant electrodes in the desired location.

Cyborg insects mark the first true convergence of biology and electronics. These systems involve direct integration of electronic control mechanisms into living insects, effectively turning them into remotely operated platforms. One of the most significant breakthroughs came from the University of Michigan, where researchers developed piezoelectric actuators embedded in beetles. These actuators convert the kinetic energy of wing movement into electricity, enabling the insect to power its own guidance system without relying on conventional batteries. Such energy autonomy dramatically extends mission duration and reduces payload weight.

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed the first sensor system small and light enough to ride on the back of a bumblebee, transforming these natural fliers into smart, self-powered data gatherers. Unlike traditional drones that have limited battery life, bees can fly independently for hours and return to their hives to recharge tiny batteries embedded in the sensor pack. Weighing only 102 milligrams—roughly the weight of seven grains of rice—the backpack includes a 70-milligram rechargeable battery and a compact suite of environmental sensors. These systems can collect temperature, humidity, and light data during a bee’s natural foraging, then upload that information wirelessly when the insect returns to the hive using low-power backscatter communication.

To overcome the limitations of GPS, which consumes too much power for insect-scale platforms, the team designed a novel localization system that requires no onboard power. Instead, multiple antennas broadcast signals across a monitored area, and the backpack uses signal strength and angle-of-arrival data to triangulate its location. In field tests, bees outfitted with these sensor packs could be accurately tracked within an 80-meter range. This allows researchers not only to monitor environmental conditions across farms but also to study pollination patterns and bee preferences in real-time. Over time, such technology could help farmers optimize crop health and yield by aligning agricultural practices with bee behavior. In the future, enhancements like miniaturized cameras could add live monitoring capabilities, further blending biology with microelectronics to create an eco-friendly, energy-efficient alternative to aerial drones.

Parallel advancements were achieved by Draper Laboratory through the DragonflEye project.

By genetically modifying dragonfly neurons to express opsins—light-sensitive proteins—researchers created a method to steer the insect using light transmitted via flexible fiber-optic implants. This optogenetic approach avoids invasive electrodes and provides fine-tuned, reversible control of muscle activity. In 2023, DARPA-supported teams achieved a major milestone by guiding rhinoceros beetles within a 5-meter proximity of a specific target from a 100-meter distance. These beetles carried onboard gas sensors to identify explosive chemicals, demonstrating a powerful new capability for micro-scale reconnaissance.

The next generation involves biohybrid carriers, which preserve the full autonomy of insects but add microelectronic payloads to enhance functionality. These systems rely on the insect’s natural behaviors—such as pollination or foraging—while passively collecting data or performing lightweight tasks. The University of Washington pioneered this class of innovation with their “bee backpacks.” These ultra-light sensor suites, weighing only 102 milligrams, are mounted onto bumblebees and powered by solar cells that recharge within the hive. Each backpack includes RF transceivers and environmental sensors that monitor variables such as temperature, humidity, and floral density. Because the bees instinctively follow bloom cycles and cover vast agricultural terrain, they are ideal agents for mapping microclimates, detecting early signs of crop stress, and even identifying irrigation inefficiencies. Unlike cyborgs, these biohybrids are not actively controlled but serve as autonomous data collectors embedded in ecological processes.

The most recent developments in the field are insect-inspired robots—fully synthetic machines that emulate the form, locomotion, and behaviors of insects without incorporating any biological material. Harvard University’s RoboBee X-Wing exemplifies this direction. Weighing just 90 milligrams, it features a rigid “pop-up” frame inspired by origami techniques, enabling compact, lightweight construction. Its onboard solar panels provide enough energy for independent flight, marking a key step toward true untethered micro-air vehicles. Another example is the Neusbot, developed by UC Riverside, which mimics the locomotion of water striders. Using steam-powered actuators, this robot can move across the water’s surface without relying on traditional batteries, opening new possibilities for pollution monitoring and aquatic surveillance. To enhance the stability of such lightweight machines, researchers at Harvard have developed “ocelli sensors”—simplified vision systems modeled after the light-sensitive organs of real insects. These single-pixel sensors detect horizon orientation with minimal power consumption, helping to maintain flight balance and directional control in a highly efficient manner.

Together, these three generations—cyborg insects, biohybrid carriers, and biomimetic robots—represent a full spectrum of insect robotics. They range from biologically integrated platforms with sophisticated control, to co-operative organisms augmented for passive data collection, to fully artificial constructs inspired by the unmatched adaptability of insects. Each generation builds on the last, moving toward systems that are lighter, smarter, and more integrated with both natural ecosystems and human objectives.

The rapid evolution of insect robotics has been fueled by three key technological breakthroughs: energy harvesting, neuromorphic control, and autonomous swarming. These advances are enabling cyborg and insect-inspired systems to operate longer, respond with greater precision, and coordinate in complex environments, dramatically expanding their potential in real-world applications.

Energy harvesting is a cornerstone of making biohybrid systems viable for extended missions. Traditional battery-powered micro-drones suffer from limited endurance, often lasting only minutes. In contrast, cyborg beetles developed at the University of Michigan utilize piezoelectric actuators embedded in their wings, generating up to 20 microwatts of power from natural wing movement. This self-generated energy is sufficient to power onboard neural stimulation interfaces, eliminating the need for bulky batteries.

Complementing this, Draper Laboratory’s solar backpacks, deployed on bees and dragonflies, use lightweight photovoltaic cells to recharge embedded electronics while the insects rest in natural environments like hives or nests. These innovations extend mission duration from hours to weeks or even months, enabling long-term data collection and surveillance operations.

Neuromorphic control systems are redefining how scientists interface with insect nervous systems. The adoption of optogenetics—a method that uses genetically inserted light-sensitive proteins called opsins—allows researchers to control insect muscle groups with pinpoint accuracy using fiber-optic pulses, avoiding invasive metal electrodes. This level of precision dramatically enhances reliability and reduces physiological stress on the insect host. Meanwhile, machine learning algorithms are being trained on large behavioral datasets to predict and adapt to insect responses in real-time. These systems increase control accuracy by up to 40%, enabling more responsive and adaptive navigation in dynamic environments such as forests, urban rubble, or warzones.

Autonomous swarming represents a leap in collective intelligence for insect robotics. Instead of controlling each insect individually, researchers have begun programming cyborg insects to communicate via mesh networks, enabling them to share positional data and environmental cues. In DARPA’s 2024 trials, a swarm of 50 HI-MEMS beetles successfully mapped a multi-room building in under five minutes, each unit relaying findings to the others to dynamically adjust their paths and avoid redundancy. This capability opens doors to autonomous search-and-rescue missions, coordinated surveillance, and large-scale environmental monitoring—tasks previously limited to high-cost drone fleets.

Together, these core innovations are transforming insect robotics from laboratory curiosities into scalable, autonomous, and enduring solutions for agriculture, defense, healthcare, and beyond.

Future Frontiers: 2025 and Beyond

As insect robotics continues to evolve, the next frontier lies in more profound biological integration, radical miniaturization, and large-scale environmental applications. These innovations signal a future in which insects and robots not only coexist but co-develop, ushering in new paradigms for bio-interfacing technology and ecological management.

One of the most controversial but technically groundbreaking efforts is DARPA’s “Insect Allies” program. This initiative aims to use genetically engineered viruses, delivered by insects like aphids or whiteflies, to rapidly modify crops in the field. The goal is to create pest- and drought-resistant traits on demand, directly in the environment. While the program has immense potential for improving food security, it has also triggered international concern over its dual-use implications. Critics fear the technology could be misused to develop genetically targeted bioweapons, particularly if the same mechanisms are repurposed for offensive applications. Nevertheless, the project represents a critical convergence of synthetic biology, virology, and entomology, highlighting how deeply embedded living systems may become in national security and agriculture.

In the realm of medicine, Harvard’s pop-up manufacturing techniques, originally developed for micro-robotics like RoboBee, are being reimagined for clinical applications. Engineers envision medical microbots at the scale of ants or smaller, capable of navigating through the human body to deliver drugs precisely where needed or to perform minimally invasive microsurgeries. These robots could be activated wirelessly and powered by internal bio-batteries or even energy harvested from the host body, eliminating the need for surgical retrieval. With fine control enabled by optoelectronics and magnetically guided navigation, they represent the future of personalized, non-invasive healthcare delivery.

Looking to planetary health, researchers are adapting insect-inspired designs to ocean monitoring, addressing the mounting threat of microplastic pollution. Water-strider robots, modeled after the biomechanics of aquatic insects, may soon roam the world’s oceans powered by century-long bio-batteries—biochemical cells capable of ultra-slow discharge over decades. These robots could continuously scan marine environments for microplastic concentrations, harmful algae blooms, or oil slicks, transmitting real-time environmental data back to satellites. By 2030, fleets of such robots may form the aquatic counterpart to aerial drone swarms, autonomously patrolling the seas with minimal ecological footprint.

As Dr. Sawyer Fuller of the University of Washington puts it, “Insects aren’t just templates – they’re partners. We’re coding their biology like software.” This statement captures the essence of the new era in which biology and engineering are no longer separate domains. Instead, they are being woven together to address some of humanity’s most urgent challenges—from food security and surgical precision to ocean conservation—by turning insects and their robotic analogs into living, thinking tools of the future.