I am not offering my opinions, just citing the related work that's been or being done at institutions like Carnegie Mellon - and I do not know your background to determine the level of credibility to assign to your opinions in this matter.
--- In pakgrid@yahoogroups.com, Faisal Faruqi <faisal_faruqi2000@...> wrote:
>
>
> In my opinion, controlling an insect's flight by attaching 'a device' to its
> brain is (till today) not a feasible idea. To control a living creature's
> actions, it needs a very precise control over the electro-chemical signals that
> go to the brain. If such a technology exists, it would have been easier to
> demonstrate it by implanting such a device in a rat or a guinea pig's brain
> which are bigger in size than trying it on a tiny insect.
>
> However, at best what can be done is to implant a tiny device like for e.g. a
> camera in an insect's body at a pupil or larva stage. This may be used to
> receive crude images, voices etc but what gets captured depends upon where the
> insect flies. Controlling the insect's behavior (like its flight path etc) still
> seems like a distant future idea.
>
>
>
> A more feasible approach will be to build miniature flight devices that look
> like insects (artificial insect or insect looking miniature drone) and install
> some kind of camera or sensors on it rather than trying to remotely control the
> brain of a real natural insect.
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: kidwai99 <kidwai99@...>
> To: pakgrid@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Sun, October 7, 2012 1:24:59 PM
> Subject: Re: [alumni] FW: [pakgrid] The world of innovation
>
>
> A couple of snippets from what is available in the public domain.
> Enjoy!
>
> http://www.ece.ncsu.edu/news/21559/researchers-develop-technique-to-remotely-control-cockroaches/
>
>
> Ultimately, we think this will allow us to create a mobile web of smart sensors
> that uses cockroaches to collect and transmit information, such as finding
> survivors in a building that's been destroyed by an earthquake.
>
> http://www.cmu.edu/silicon-valley/files/pdfs/news/bugs-spigot.pdf
>
> Scientists at DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the same
> government group that started the Internet, are developing ¨Dcybugs.¡¬ These are
> live insects that have human electronics placed in them at the pupa stage. For
> example, microscopic sensors, microphones or flight controllers are put into
> caterpillars. When they become butterflies, they can be directed in their flight
> by remote control to gather and send back information.
>
> Professor Pei Zhang of Carnegie Mellon University¡¯s Silicon Valley campus is
> working on a robotic SensorFly project. This robot is very lightweight like a
> fly, and it can quickly move from one place to another. It can carry sensors for
> many thing such as video, audio, light and temperature. The SensorFly has wings
> that look more like those of a helicopter than a fly.
> The SensorFly has many possible uses. It would be very helpful in flying into a
> building damaged by a hurricane or earthquake to see if there were survivors. It
> could also be used as a security system in houses or for finding the enemy in
> war.
>
> --- In pakgrid@yahoogroups.com, Faisal Mateen <mateenfaisal@> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Your critique to this article sounds reasonable. It should also reach the
> >author of the article i.e. Prof Atta-ur-Rahman. This allows him to respond and
> >include/update references that may have been left out of this email/article
> >floating around.
> >
> > So i have forwarded your email to : ibne_ sina@, aurahman786@ (the email
> >of Prof Atta-ur-Rahman which i could find from internet)
> > Any help to convey this constructive feedback to Dr. Atta through other means
> >(like mobile etc) would be appreciated.
> >
> > BR, Faisal.http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=3995598&trk=tab_pro
> >
> > Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2012 01:00:01 -0700
> > Subject: Re: [alumni] FW: [pakgrid] The world of innovation
> > From: khurram.zia@
> > To: mateenfaisal@
> > CC: giki-cafe@yahoogroups.com
> >
> >
> > It's unbelievable that the people responsible for the upkeep of science and
> >technology in the country are also getting involved in the peddling of
> >conspiracy theories.
> >
> >
> > The only link (reference) provided in the article is to a 2009 patent
> >application titled, "Highly Miniaturized, Battery operated, Digital Wireless
> >Camera using programmable single chip active pixel sensor (APS) Digital Camera
> >Chip".
> >
> >
> > No where does the link talk about actually controlling insect's brains by
> >micro/nano chips planted in their brains. May be that does become possible one
> >day but for now it's remarkable how in one clean sweep, Dr. Atta, made a leap to
> >cyborg insects from a paper about tiny cameras.
> >
> >
> > Pretty amazing.
> >
> > On Sun, Oct 7, 2012 at 12:44 AM, Faisal Mateen <mateenfaisal@> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > FYI
> >
> > To: pakgrid@yahoogroups.com
> > From: ashiq.anjum@
> > Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2012 00:51:41 +0000
> >
> > Subject: [pakgrid] The world of innovation
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> >
> >
> >
> >
> > http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-136043-The-world-of-innovation
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > The world of innovation
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Prof Atta-ur-Rahman
> > Saturday, October 06, 2012
> >
> > From Print Edition
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > With the miniaturisation of electronics and rapid developments in machine
> >intelligence, new applications are emerging that can be used for espionage and
> >for defence purposes. One of these is the
> > development of cyborg insects ¨C these are living insects that have been
> >fitted with tiny cameras and microphone systems and that can be remotely
> >controlled by secure frequency signals from miles away.
> >
> >
> >
> > These insects can be made to fly over through ventilation systems and perch
> >themselves on the walls of the room in which our president, prime minister or
> >army chief may be sitting and having a confidential
> > conversation on a matter of national strategic importance.
> >
> >
> >
> > The pictures and sounds collected can then be transmitted to a foreign embassy
> >a few miles away, thereby jeopardising our national security. These insect
> >drones have been developed by Caltech¡¯s
> > Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, and the project has been funded by NASA
> >(www.tinyurl.com/ojwmdq). The technology involves a remote controlled chip
> >planted in the brain of the insects or connected to their nerve cells. This
> >allows them to be manipulated from
> > a distance quite easily. These new types of defence weapons developed through
> >funding mainly by the US defence agencies may prove to be of critical importance
> >and nations need to protect their strategic assets to protect themselves.
> >Similar cyborg beetles
> > and small rats have been developed by scientists at the Tokyo University of
> >Agriculture & Technology.
> >
> >
> >
> > The use of robots to perform specific tasks is best illustrated by the
> >automobile industry where many routine operations are performed by robotic arms.
> >The pharmaceutical industry also employs high
> > speed bioassays using robots that can screen 50,000 or more compounds in a
> >day.
> >
> >
> >
> > Now scientists and engineers at the FRAC Centre in Orl¨¦ans, France have
> >developed flying robots (quadrocopters) to construct a six meter tall building
> >to demonstrate the viability of this technology
> > for construction purposes. The tower has been built by a large number of such
> >flying robots that pick up foam bricks and put them into place while acting in
> >concert. They are fitted with various sensors and controls that allow them to
> >communicate with one
> > another and avoid collisions while performing their tasks. They are highly
> >manoeuvrable since they can perform spirals, curves and loops without any
> >problems. Construction of buildings in the future may take place using such
> >technologies.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > In another exciting development, bacteria are being used to perform specific
> >tasks. For example Prof Sylvain Martel and colleagues at the NanoRobotics
> >Laboratory of Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal,
> > Canada have found that they can use a magnetic device to control and command
> >certain types of bacteria. These (magnetotactic) bacteria have built-in natural
> >compasses (magnetosomes) and they can be made to follow the pull from magnetic
> >fields.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > The French scientists used external magnetic fields to control a swarm of 5,000
> >bacteria to build a small pyramid from tiny epoxy bricks within 15 minutes. The
> >bacteria could also be forced to swim
> > through blood vessels. The scientists are now planning to use these tiny work
> >horses to act as engines that will propel larger nanorobots carrying specific
> >drugs to the site of infections!
> >
> >
> >
> > Bacteria are also being developed for home lighting! Scientists working in the
> >Dutch electronics company Philips are exploring the use of bacteria to light
> >bulbs. The ¡°Microbial Home¡± concept developed
> > by Philips uses glowing bioluminescent bacteria to produce natural light. The
> >bacteria are fed with natural methane that may be easily produced from household
> >waste. The light is produced by a chemical reaction through a process known as
> >¡°bioluminescence¡±.
> > The reaction involves an enzyme luciferase that acts on the substrate
> >luciferin to produce flashes of light. The fireflies (¡°jugnoo¡±) found in the
> >evening in summers in Punjab use this phenomenon, as do certain deep sea jelly
> >fishes.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > In Pakistan the seeds have been sown for the promotion of research and
> >development in various fields of science and engineering through the efforts of
> >the Higher Education Commission (HEC) during
> > the last decade. This is evident from the spectacular growth in international
> >research publications from Pakistan that have grown from only 600 per year in
> >the year 2000 to about 8,000 per year presently. Indeed it is remarkable that
> >through the careful and
> > relentless promotion of research by the HEC, Pakistan today has overtaken
> >India in terms of research publications per million population.
> >
> >
> >
> > Carefully thought out interventions by our government can catalyse growth and
> >make a huge difference in technology-related sectors. Take the example of the
> >growth of mobile telephony in Pakistan.
> > When I was the federal minister of Science & Technology, the Information
> >Technology and Telecommunication Division was a part of this ministry.
> >
> >
> >
> > There were only 300,000 mobile telephones and mobile telephony was not
> >expanding for the previous eight years as the prices for making calls were
> >formidably high and the common man was reluctant
> > to have such phones as one had to pay for even receiving calls, not just to
> >make them. After careful consideration and discussion with colleagues, we
> >decided to make some key interventions. Ufone was launched, prices of making
> >calls were drastically reduced
> > and the system of charging on calls received was changed so that clients no
> >longer had to pay for receiving calls ¨C this was the so-called ¡°Calling Party
> >Pays (CPP)¡± regime. As a result a miracle happened. An explosive growth began,
> >and from 0.3 million mobile
> > phones, we have now reached more than 11 million mobile phones in Pakistan ¨C
> >regarded by many as the hottest sector of the economy.
> >
> >
> >
> > A similar situation was seen in the information technology scenario in Pakistan
> >in the year 2000. Here a serious difficulty was the lack of properly trained
> >manpower since there were hardly any
> > good departments of information technology or PhD level qualified faculty in
> >our universities. A large number of bright young men and women were therefore
> >sent abroad for PhD level training in order to strengthen the universities.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > A 15 year tax holiday was given in 2001 to boost the IT industry and a number
> >of other measures taken. As a result the software industry has expanded by a
> >remarkable thirty fold within a decade,
> > from only $30 million in the year 2001 to about a billion dollars presently.
> >The total IT industry is estimated to be about $2.5 billion, growing at a rate
> >of about 20 percent annually.
> >
> >
> >
> > Pakistan¡¯s first satellite Paksat 1 was placed in space, thereby securing a
> >strategically important slot in space. In 2001 all major airports in Pakistan
> >had been equipped with wireless internet
> > facilities, that were absent in major European airports. After my meeting with
> >the CEO of Intel, a collaborative project was initiated with funding from Intel
> >through which internet kiosks were set up at all major airports of Pakistan.
> >Within a matter of hardly
> > two years during 2000-2002, the foundations of a modern IT industry were laid.
> >Pakistan must set aside at least seven percent of its GDP on education, science
> >and technology if it wants to compete in this fast changing world.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > The writer is former federal minister for science and technology, former
> >chairman of the Higher Education Commission. Email: ibne_ sina@
> >
>
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