THIS country has built world's lightest brain controller, can turn bees into military cyborgs, not US, Russia, Israel, it is...

Scientists in China have developed tiny controllers that can be inserted into the brains of bees to turn them into military cyborgs and dictate where they fly. Once the nectar-sucking creature is converted into a cyborg, it can be used for covert military operations or in missions at locations that are otherwise inaccessible to humans. Described as the world's lightest brain controller, weighing merely 74 milligrams, the device has been developed by researchers at China's Beijing Institute of Technology.

How does the device work?
The brain-controlling device is strapped on the bee's back and pierces its brain with three needles. It can give bees the following flight directions: turn left, turn right, advance, retreat. Nine out of 10 times, the bees obeyed the commands, according to a report by The South China Morning Post. "Insect-based robots inherit the superior mobility, camouflage capabilities and environmental adaptability of their biological hosts," said Professor Zhao Jieliang, part of the team that built the device. "Compared to synthetic alternatives, they demonstrate enhanced stealth and extended operational endurance, making them invaluable for covert reconnaissance in scenarios such as urban combat, counterterrorism and narcotics interdiction, as well as critical disaster relief operations," the researcher added.

What do researchers say?
For the invention, the Chinese scientists drew inspiration from the cyborg controller developed in Singapore that can command beetles and cockroaches. However, that controller was triple the weight. Jieliang's team reduced the device's weight by printing the circuits on polymer film, which carries several chips including an infrared remote, despite being as thin as insect wings. But the current batteries being used are not able to last very long. "In future research, precision and repeatability of insect behaviour control will be enhanced by optimising stimulation signals and control techniques," the researchers concluded.