Researchers develop Robotic camera backpack for insects

Researchers have developed a tiny wireless steerable camera that can be mounted on an insects’s back to see how it sees the world.

The camera was developed by the researchers of the University of Washington and they claim that it can give a first-person view of what’s happening from an actual live insect, or create vision for small robots

Shyam Gollakota, lead author of the paper said, “Vision is so important for communication and for navigation, but it’s extremely challenging to do it at such a small scale. As a result, prior to our work, wireless vision has not been possible for small robots or insects”

The camera streams video to a smartphone at 1-5 frames per second and sits atop a mechanical arm that can pivot 60 degrees. The system is controlled via Bluetooth from a distance up to 120 meters away.

The university released a video that highlights how the camera works by streaming black and white footage to a phone.