--- title: "Chinese Scientists Create Cyborg Bees That Can Be Controlled Like Drones for Undercover Military Missions" description: "Researchers at the Beijing Institute of Technology turned innocent bees into cyborgs that can be controlled via an insect brain controller." date: "2025-07-12" modified: "2025-07-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinese-scientists-cyborg-bees" categories: - "Drones" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "bees" - "cyborg" - "the digest" --- # Chinese Scientists Create Cyborg Bees That Can Be Controlled Like Drones for Undercover Military Missions ![Researchers at the Beijing Institute of Technology turned innocent bees into cyborgs that can be controlled via an insect brain controller.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Seal Team Bee Researchers at the Beijing Institute of Technology have turned innocent bees into cyborgs that can be controlled via a 74-milligram insect brain controller. As the [*South China Morning Post* reports](), the controller pierces the bee's tiny brain with three needles and uses signals sent via electronic pulses to make it fly forwards, backwards, left, or right. According to the reporting, the bee obeyed these commands nine out of ten times. The researchers are hoping that the tiny cyborg could allow the military to infiltrate hard-to-access space or be used in search and rescue missions to find survivors in natural disasters, according to a research paper. "Insect-based robots inherit the superior mobility, camouflage capabilities and environmental adaptability of their biological hosts," the paper reads, as quoted by the *SCMP*. ## Hive Mind The idea of turning real-life insects into military agents is surprisingly widespread. We've already come across scientists turning cockroaches into a [crawling legion of desert recon operatives](). Earlier this year, a team of Japanese scientists even [controlled cicadas]() to turn their chirps into a rendition of the soundtrack of "Top Gun." The Beijing team is betting on the "extended operational endurance" of real bees, which makes them "invaluable for covert reconnaissance in scenarios such as urban combat, counterterrorism and narcotics interdiction, as well as critical disaster relief operations." But before an army of bees can infiltrate military targets as part of futuristic covert operations, the researchers still have plenty of hurdles to overcome. For one, power delivery is still a major problem. The bees still need to be wired up to the controller to function, since a big enough battery weighs in at a relatively hefty 600 milligrams, vastly more than the tiny load of the equipment itself. "In future research, precision and repeatability of insect behaviour control will be enhanced by optimising stimulation signals and control techniques," the paper reads, per the *SCMP*. The researchers are looking to expand the functionalities of the system to the point where they can be used for "reconnaissance and detection missions." **More on cyborgs:** *[Army of Backpack-Wearing Cyborg Cockroaches Swarm Desert Target]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()