Fighting the Next War With Insects and Sharks
There is a long history of the use of the honey bee in war. Roman catapults, with bee hives as projectiles, unleashed the fury of angry bees on an advancing enemy. Bee hives booby trapped to topple over with trip wires were used to the advantage of both sides during battles in World War I. In Vietnam, the Viet Cong often used sabotaged Apis dorsata nests against the American soldier.
In addition to honey bees, other animals have long provided military assistance in many ways. Elephants and horses have been used for locomotion in wars. Pigeons have been used to send secret, covert messages. Of course, dogs have always answered the call of military duty. In the last several decades, the Navy has even used trained dolphins and sea lions to patrol harbors and locate potential undersea mines. So, it should come as little surprise that the United States military is experimenting with other animals in an attempt to gain an advantage on the battlefield of the future.
In fact, the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) in Arlington, Virginia, is currently involved in a number of military research studies investigating the use of electronic implants to monitor or control the movement and behavior of animals. Their research objective, if successful, would result in remote controlled (cyborg) animal spies that would operate without detection on the surface of the Earth and even under the sea.
Darpa military research is currently exploring ways to use electronic stimulus to control shark behavior and movement. In fact, scientists at Boston University have already developed brain implants that can influence the movements of dogfish (members of the shark family) by “steering” them using a phantom odor.
The military objective of controlling the movement of sharks is outlined in the New Scientist Magazine as follows; “By remotely guiding sharks’ movements, the military hopes to transform the animals into stealth spies, perhaps capable of following vessels without being spotted. The Pentagon hopes to exploit the ability of sharks to glide quietly through the water, sense delicate electrical gradients and follow chemical trails.”
In addition to funding research to create these cyborg sharks, Darpa has also awarded funding to research groups at the University of Michigan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Boyce Thompson for the development of its ‘”HI-MEMS” program. This program’s aim is to develop technology that provides more control over the locomotion of moths and horned beetles. Like the work with the sharks, the goal is to enlist these insects for the duty of animal cyborg spy.
The final demonstration goal of the HI-MEMS program is the controlled arrival of an insect within five meters of a specified target located one hundred meters from the insect’s starting point. It must then remain stationary indefinitely, unless otherwise instructed. It must also be able to transmit data from Department of Defense sensors providing information about the local environment.
If this goal of the control over insect movement was achieved, insects with embedded micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) could run remotely controlled reconnaissance missions for the military. This could lead to insect swarms with various sorts of different embedded sensors such as video cameras, audio microphones, and chemical sniffers. These cyborg insects could then penetrate enemy territory to perform reconnaissance missions that would be to dangerous for human soldiers.
Of course, all of this animal cyborg research will require several more years of experimentation and study to determine the program’s military feasibility. In the meantime, British defense giant BAE Systems is creating a series of tiny electronic spiders, insects, and snakes that could become the eyes and ears of soldiers on today’s battlefield. The first prototype of these robotic insect devices is expected before the end of this year.
The plan is for soldiers to carry the insect robots into combat and use a small tracked vehicle to transport them closer to their targets. Some of these robots will be fitted with small cameras, others will be equipped with sensors that will be able to detect the presence of chemical, biological, or radioactive weapons. Then they would be released to swarm into a building and relay images back to the soldiers’ hand-held or wrist-mounted computers, warning them of any potential threats inside.
These BAE designed insect robots would be used until the cyborg insects are ready for the battlefield. There should be little doubt that the war of the future will integrate more advanced technology and that battlefield security will be a lot tougher to maintain. The United States military’s intention is to fight the next war with a swarming army of animal cyborg spies .
Military research has led to many important applications in the private sector during the last several decades. Consider that it was military research funded by Darpa that led to the creation of the Internet. So, in the near future, to insure our personal privacy, we may want to remember to pull down the shade on that innocent looking moth sitting outside our window. It may well be a robotic or cyborg insect spy, fully equipped with a camera.
James William Smith
How Australian are you?
1. ‘Don’t come the raw prawn with me, mate!’. If an Aussie said this to you, what does he mean?
‘Put more fuel on the barbecue.’
‘Stop staring at me!’
‘Don’t steal my fishing bait!’
‘You can’t fool me, pal!’
2. To get a hot tip, for example, to be told the winner of the next horse race, is to get the _____?
toast of the town
green bean
red paint
good oil
3. If I was to ‘chuck a u-ey in my ute’, what am I doing?
stealing a female sheep
selecting a Christmas tree
throwing a boomerang
turning my car to head in the opposite direction
4. Which of the following is NOT a meaning for the word ‘blue’?
a mistake
a fight
a river
a redheaded man
5. What are ‘salties’ and ‘freshies’?
table condiments
crocodiles
sailors
rivers
6. What is the most popular sport held on Christmas Day down-under?
snow skiing
horse racing
Rugby League
backyard cricket
7. Bundy and Coke is an alcoholic drink that is quite popular in Australia, but what specific type of spirit is ‘Bundy’?
Brandy
Rum
Vodka
Retsina
8. What are croweaters, sandgropers and banana benders?
native animals
species of sharks
fruit pickers
nicknames for residents of various states
9. What activity do these words all relate to? Pot, Handle, Schooner, Pony?
a game of marbles
umpiring Australian Rules football
beer drinking
outback cooking
10. ‘The relo’s have lobbed’. What has happened?
you have just won a point in a game of tennis
your cooking has attracted a cloud of insects
you have just moved house
your family has just arrived
Hee hee…you lot are sooo much fun. Thanks for answering. xo
The scores are:
Cookie cutter: 6/10
When the sun goes down: 5/10
Carly: 4/10
Mad, Rad &Bad: 3/10
Super Midget: IX : 9/10
El Domingo: 9/10
I’m not scoring the Aussies, as you guys know what the meanings are, obviously.
mmkay im just going to take a stab at this, hope you don’t mind how wrong my American answers are :]
1) You can’t fool me, pal!
nicknames for residents of various states
2) good oil
3) throwing a boomerang
4) a mistake
5) table condiments
6) horse racing
7) Rum
9) beer drinking
10) your family has just arrived
watch me get 0/10
loll
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I don’t know the answer to any of your questions.
But I ate a "Blooming Onion" at an Outback Steakhouse.
Do I get points for that?
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‘You can’t fool me, pal!’
good oil
turning my car to head in the opposite direction
a river
crocodiles
backyard cricket
Rum
nicknames for residents of various states
beer drinking
your family has just arrived
References :
does it help that i Australian
1. ‘Don’t come the raw prawn with me, mate!’. If an Aussie said this to you, what does he mean?
‘You can’t fool me, pal!’
2. To get a hot tip, for example, to be told the winner of the next horse race, is to get the _____?
green bean
3. If I was to ‘chuck a u-ey in my ute’, what am I doing?
turning my car to head in the opposite direction
4. Which of the following is NOT a meaning for the word ‘blue’?
a redheaded man
5. What are ‘salties’ and ‘freshies’?
table condiments
6. What is the most popular sport held on Christmas Day down-under?
backyard cricket
7. Bundy and Coke is an alcoholic drink that is quite popular in Australia, but what specific type of spirit is ‘Bundy’?
Vodka
8. What are croweaters, sandgropers and banana benders?
nicknames for residents of various states
a banana bender is a person from Queensland, right?
9. What activity do these words all relate to? Pot, Handle, Schooner, Pony?
beer drinking
10. ‘The relo’s have lobbed’. What has happened?
you have just moved house
References :
i bet i did terrible
1. You cant fool me, pal
2. Toast of the town
3.Turning my car to head in the opposite direction
4. a redheaded man
5.Crocodiles
6.Backyard Cricket
7.Brandy
8.Native Animals
9. outback cooking
10. You have just won a point in a game of tennis
References :
haha i have no idea if i got any of these right
1. Don’t steal my fishing bait.
2. Toast of the town
3. turning your car to head in the other direction
4. a fight
5. crocks
6. backyard cricket
7. Brandy
8. Native animals
9. a game of Marbles
10. You have just moved house
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ack!!! it is now definite I am never going to Australia this is embarrasing
>.< what kind of language is this lol hahahaha
Thanks that was very interesting
1 – Stop staring at me!’ (raw prawn = behave in an extremely offensive fashion)
2 – good oil
3 – turning my car to head in the opposite direction
4 – a river
5- crocodiles
6 – backyard cricket
7- Rum
8 – nicknames for residents of various states
9 – beer drinking
10 – your family has just arrived
And all that… is ridgie didge, mate.
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Super Midget IX
hmmmm. well… I’m way over qualified to answer the q’s and I love an after sex beer and bong… then a beer-bong… pretty aussie I figure…
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I won’t cheat,it’s amusing,well done *pats your fanny*,well that’s what the ‘foreigners’ do.,lol.
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When in …..Rome.!!!
I think the midget got it!
Cheers from southern New South Wales
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too much effort to answer and read..lol..yep ..Aussie enough for ya..lol
* passes you a thingo..want to jump on the tramp..^^^^^^^^ dirty gurty..* teehee
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well done Aussie..lol..
1. ‘You can’t fool me, pal!’…..Hmmm shouldn’t that be mate
2. good oil
3. turning my car to head in the opposite direction
4. a river
5. I live in crocodile country…you can’t fool me on that one chickie lol
6. backyard cricket
7. Rum
8. nicknames for residents of various states..more specifically SA, WA and QLD
9. beer drinking
10. your family has just arrived…and I groan every frigging time lol
References :
<<<Is gonna miss the land down under when she leaves in 38 days
1) You can’t fool me pal
Nicknames for residents of various states
2) Good Oil
3) Turning the car to head in the opposite direction
4) A river
5) Crocodiles
6) Backyard Cricket
7) Rum
9) Beer drinking
10) Your family has just arrived
References :
Aussie and am eating "tucker" right now lol
i speak english
so i guess in 2009
about 2.476%
((
References :
1. ‘You can’t fool me, pal!’
2. good oil
3. In my dreams it would be, stealing a female sheep, but sadly it’s turning my car to head in the opposite direction
4. a mistake
5. crocodiles
6. backyard cricket
7. Rum
8. nicknames for residents of various states
9. beer drinking
10. your family has just arrived
References :