Development of Insect Cyborgs with Artificial Wings

Research on the flight ability of insects has been drawing a lot of attention over the years. In this study, we investigated the effects of wing structure of insects on their flight performances by excising beetle wing membranes and replacing them with artificial ones. We measured the difference in the flight performance between intact and artificial wings which parylene thin film is replaced to natural membrane of wing with a six-axis force system and motion capture using the VICON software. The measured parameters include thrust, lift, acceleration, and deceleration. Membrane-excised beetles that were classified to be unable to fly or not flyable succeeded in flying after artificial membranes were added in place of the excised wings. The success of this repair has the potential to lead to the development of novel ways of enhancing flight performance through the evolution of artificial wing.