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The life of bugs is largely still a mystery to us humans, mainly for one reason: they're so much smaller than us. In order to understand the world from the scale of a bug, scientists decided that the best way to do this was to see the world from a perspective of a bug. To do this, a tiny robotic camera was created: essentially a miniature GoPro for bugs, the camera is power-autonomous, fully wireless, and mechanically steerable. The camera sits on top of a robotic arm that can rotate 60 degrees. Until now, wireless cameras of this size have not been possible. But with the increasing advancement of technology, a camera weighing 250 milligrams is reality.
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The tiny camera is powered by a lithium polymer battery and can stream continuously for an hour. It can be programmed to only capture footage when the bug is moving, which increases the battery up to six hours. For the test run of the tiny camera, the death-feigning beetle (asbolus laevis) and the pinacate bettle (Eleodes nigrina) were used (apparently the beetles are still alive a year later, meaning the camera didn't cause any harm to them). Although there is no way to control the bug's movements, scientists think that the minibug camera could help biologists understand a bug's movement in different terrains. This may be the beginning of a new understanding of bugs. But for now, we can't get enough of beetles wearing tiny bug camera backpacks.
Now You Can See The World From a Beetle's Perspective
Ever wondered what the world looks like from the eyes of a beetle? Well, wonder no more. Some scientists strapped a tiny robotic backpack camera to some beetles and filmed what they saw. What a world we live in. This article originally appeared in Smithsonian Mag.
Interested in more weird stories? Check out the trees that "grows" shoes.
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