UAV Bugs

By: Kevin Chung

             With UAVs (Unmanned Ariel Vehicles) become more prevalent in our society by mapping terrain from an aerial view, they can’t give us great insight in situations like the inside of a collapsed building, the inside of a mine shaft, basically places with a confined space. But engineers have developed a combination of software and hardware that will allow them to use unmanned aerial vehicles and insect cyborgs – or biobiots – to map terrain.

             How these biobots would work is by being released in a swarm-like cockroach- from an UAV into an unstable area, like a collapsed building right after an earthquake. According to NC state, these biobots would be able to move freely in a defined area, and would signal engineers through radio waves when they would get close to each other. A software would then use an algorithm to translate the biobots data into a rough map of the new environment. Once the program has generated a rough map form the data received, the UAV will move on to an unexplored section with the biobots moving along with it, and repeat the steps. The software can then stitch the region together until first responders can use the map.

             Engineers could do this in an experiment by releasing the biobots in a maze-like space. The UAV beacon emulated using a camera attached to it and a physical boundary attached to a moving cart. The cart was then moved after the biobots had fed the program the information needed to create a path to the destination.

             This kind of technology created by engineers is revolutionary in saving the lives of people in natural disasters. For example: finding a person buried underneath rubble from a collapsed building just after an earthquake, or looking for a route to reach survivors inside a mine shaft that had a tunnel collapse, or for biomedical use, attach a small camera to a biobot, and have it look inside a person’s lung so doctors know what foreign object is obstructing the persons breathing. This technology can save likes much more quickly and efficiently. If you like this post or have something to add, leave a comment and I’ll reply as soon as I can.

Sources

"UAVs and Insect Cyborgs Collaborate to Map Disaster Zones." The Engineer. N.p., 18 Nov. 2016.   Web.    20 Nov. 2016.