SINGAPORE, May 12 — At a lab in Singapore, a researcher uses a joystick to control the movements of a giant beetle in flight. As the researcher moves his controller left and right, radio waves are sent to a wireless receiver fitted onto the beetle's back, which activates nanowires to stimulate a small muscle in its wing. Depending on the signal the beetle turns accordingly.

From a scientific point of view, the experiment has proven a huge success. The scientists found that the muscle in question, which until now was only thought to control a beetles' ability to fold its wings, is actually key to the insect performing precise turns.

From a practical point of a view it means that we are one step closer to remote controlled cyborg beetles that could search for survivors in disaster zones where it's too dangerous for human to operate.

Michele Maharbiz from the University of California Berkeley has been at the forefront of cyborg beetle research. For years he's tried to answer a simple question. — Reuters