Moth drives miniature vehicle

Ars Technica : A group of researchers in Japan has rigged a small robotic vehicle with a polystyrene ball that functions like a trackball in a computer mouse. When a silk moth was placed on top of the ball and started walking, the ball rolled, directing the vehicle forward. With male moths as drivers, the researchers directed them toward a particular target by using a strong female pheromone. That particular species of moth zigzags back and forth to localize odors. Although somewhat erratic drivers, the moths were successful in reaching the target within the allotted time and without hitting the walls of the chamber in which they were confinedâmdash;even when the researchers threw a few curveballs in the form of blindfolding the moths, causing the vehicle to respond unevenly when turning, and introducing a time delay between the moth’s movements and the vehicle’s response. Such biologically based robots could one day be used to detect gas leaks or chemical spills.