VIRGINIA, United States (Reuters) — Technology company Draper has revealed the latest steps toward fusing technology with animals, releasing a behind-the-scenes look at its DragonflEye project which aims to influence the behavior of dragonflies.
Researchers from Draper and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the Janelia Research Campus have been developing a technology based on optrodes which would enable them to control the flight path of dragonflies.
The optrodes, sometimes known as optical fibers, can help control the flight neurons in a dragonfly’s back by projecting pulses of light down the spine of the dragonfly.
Draper says on their website that traditional optical fibers were too stiff, so Draper developed optrodes fibers that were more flexible and could bend with the movement of a dragonfly.
Biomedical engineer Jesse J. Wheeler said on the Draper website that the DragonflEye optrodes technology had great potential in fields including agriculture and medicine.