The Next War Is Tiny: Insect-Sized Spy Robots Are Landing in DARPA Labs
Forget military gadgets the size of cars or satellites that dodge weapons; the battlefield of the future could fit on a fingertip. A recent digest by The National Interest catalogs current microbot programs under the U.S. military and its partners, from sea-based drones to roach-thin scouts and even cyborg insects. With DARPA funding and years of research, these bugs are moving from theory to possible reality—raising questions about surveillance, safety, and what “normal” warfare might look like.
In This Article:
RoboBee: The Bug-Sized Autonomous Flyer Ready to Perch and Swarm
Among the most advanced is RoboBee, developed by Harvard’s Wyss Institute. Its journey began with a $9.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation in 2009. RoboBee is a bug-sized autonomous flying vehicle capable of transitioning from water to air and perching on surfaces, with autonomous collision avoidance in swarms. Its two wafer-thin wings flap about 120 times per second to achieve vertical takeoff and mid-air hovering. DARPA has shown keen interest in RoboBee prototypes, funding microfabrication research aimed at enabling quick field deployments. In the future, these tiny bots could carry monitoring equipment such as microphones and cameras, though payload challenges at this scale remain significant.
Cyborg Insects and Remote-Controlled Hosts: Experiments in Living Machines
Beyond RoboBee, researchers have demonstrated remote-control capabilities on a range of insect hosts, from unicorn beetles to cockroaches. These early-stage demonstrations hint at a future where living bodies and machines can cooperate for surveillance. DARPA has funded such work since 2006, and teams are exploring how to adapt drone-swarming algorithms to cyborg creations.
Underwater Microrobotics and the Robo-Jelly: Silent Ops Beneath the Surface
Underwater microrobotics is another DARPA interest, focusing on clandestine monitoring of vulnerable underwater infrastructure rather than rapid mobility. Another project mentioned is a soft-bodied autonomous drone dubbed a 'robo-jelly' that could glide through coastal waters. How practical this is remains to be seen—jellyfish drift with tides and currents, complicating control and reliability.
DASH: The Six-Legged, Crush-Resistant Workhorse
The Dynamic Autonomous Sprawled Hexapod (DASH) comes from DARPA’s testing grounds at UC Berkeley. The white paper from 2009 describes a 16-gram, 10-centimeter-long autonomous robot with six legs powered by a single motor. It can climb steps taller than its own height and absorb significant blows, including falls from any height. DASH represents a quality-over-quantity approach, prioritizing crush resistance and durability over speed or agility. With multiple bug-inspired projects and steady grant money, it’s likely that some units could exit the lab and reach a three-letter agency—if they haven’t already.
