In recent years, we have witnessed all kinds of revolutionary formulas for obtaining confidential information. Not surprisingly, digitization has been one of the most widely used input channels due to its expansion. Among the many alternatives, at Urban Tecno, we have shown you some crazy ones, among which we want to make special mention of the light bulb.
If this was interesting and, above all, curious, today we bring you a new method with which you could obtain data remotely. It would be the installation of a camera that would allow, without anyone suspecting, to have compromised information. At the moment, it is a project that is still in the development phase, but it is quite advanced.
At first glance, what relationship could there be between a beetle and espionage tasks? To find the answer, special mention must be made to the research department at the University of Washington. There, in the educational center, a very small camera has been installed on this insect. Can you imagine the amount of images that can be obtained?
This has become one of the department’s main lines of research due to the multiple implications that the project could have. In addition, the images can be sent by Bluetooth, so it would be a source of guarantee for compromised tests. Now, are we facing a source of information with great potential for future development?
Let’s see what are the qualities offered by this pilot program, why we are about to enter a new dimension of data collection and, furthermore, what should happen to enjoy this technology on a large scale. And you, have you ever imagined that a beetle could carry a camera on its shell? Here are the keys.
The camera beetle for espionage work
The simple fact of installation on a beetle is not related to the very purpose of using it on this living being. However, this insect has enough physical characteristics to be able to carry out this first part of the program. The real objective is the creation of a robot that allows equipping these instruments in reconnaissance tasks.
At the moment, as can be seen in the previous images, it is only possible to obtain images in black and white and with little sharpness. The resolution of the filming is only 160 x 120 pixels and its retransmission is between one and five frames per second. With these data, the truth is that you can hardly get useful information.
The above has been achieved with a device that has a maximum weight of 248 milligrams, as can be read on the New Atlas technology portal. Now, what is included in this compact camera? In order to obtain more vision profiles, a very small robotic arm is available that is specially created to rotate the lens up to a maximum of 60 degrees in each direction.
Regarding the battery, despite being a technology that uses very little energy, its current capacity is only 90 minutes of recording. It is hoped that, due to the multiple solutions in terms of innovation, a notable increase in autonomy can be achieved. In fact, it will be essential, since the higher performance of the components will lead to higher consumption.
A new team to study, in addition, the behavior of animals
The technique of analyzing animal behavior using graphic elements is not new. However, this takes on a greater dimension in the field of insects. Being able to understand the behavior of living beings may serve to know in more detail how a given ecosystem works. Well, what will be the closest objectives of this technology?
It is expected that over the next few months projects related to the interaction of these ‘cyborgs’ in their natural habitats will be carried out. Due to its dimensions and weight, the inclusion of this curious camera is expected to go unnoticed compared to the rest of the colony. In addition, the development program for additional robotic units will continue.
When could the advantage of the discretion of this program be used for espionage tasks? For this, we will have to wait a while yet. In fact, no details have been known about this possible branch to be exploited, but everything indicates that sooner or later it comes to the fore. Do you think you will ever see the odd insect with cameras attached to its back?