The “fly on the wall” has officially transitioned from just a metaphor to a high-priority line item in modern defence procurement. At the heart of Israel’s tactical footprint in Gaza is an insect-sized spy device that is often dropped using small drones. According to a Middle East Monitor report, these tiny “insects” are reportedly used to detect the location of captives by infiltrating areas where traditional surveillance cannot reach.
The report added that Israel is also dropping worm-sized devices equipped with cameras. Devices were placed in bags and dropped in open areas, such as cemeteries and even inside residential neighbourhoods in Gaza.
The Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) has also engineered a 20-gram drone shaped like a butterfly, equipped with a microscopic 0.15-gram camera and memory card. Instead of using a traditional remote control, operators pilot this drone using a specialised helmet that places them in a virtual “cockpit,” allowing them to see a real-time feed of exactly what the drone sees.
Such devices aren’t new. A Robotics Tomorrow article from 2017 states that such bugs remain hidden in plain view while spying in areas that are off limits to larger surveillance devices. However, the newer technology aims at creating bioelectronic insects.
They are often referred to as biohybrid or cyborg insects, which are fundamentally different from traditional micro-drones because they rely on the living insect’s natural biology for locomotion, balance, and adaptability. This significantly reduces both mechanical complexity and energy requirements compared to traditional micro-drones. Recently, a German startup named SWARM Biotactics has deployed such swarms for NATO.
France has developed flapping-wing bio-inspired micro-drones, while the Netherlands is working on a program known as BioMAV (Biologically Inspired AI for Micro Aerial Vehicles). The U.S is developing a micro aerial vehicle (MAV), palm-sized “Nano Hummingbird,” a robotic dragonfly and more, signalling that the future of cyborgs is here.
