TECH

Scientist wants to use dragonfly feature to enhance missiles

The modest dragonfly is one of the latest targets of researchers working with biomimicry (the adaptation of ideas found in nature for scientific use). According to C4ISRNet, it has attracted the attention of scientists at Sandia National Laboratories (USA) for its possible contribution to the enhancement of missile guidance systems.
Seemingly harmless to human eyes, the dragonfly is a feared hunter of other insects. Its success rate in prey capture reaches 95%.
Sandia National Laboratories researcher Frances Chance is creating algorithms that simulate how a dragonfly processes information by intercepting its prey. They are then tested in a virtual environment. For now, the results have been promising.
According to Chance, while insects may not be suitable for studying cognitive abilities to develop complex artificial intelligence, insects are ideal for the development of efficient interception-related calculations.
A dragonfly can react to a particular prey within 50 milliseconds, the researcher says. In this time span, the information crosses three neurons in the insect's brain. This indicates that the dragonfly does not learn to hunt, but the skill is inherent and part of the brain circuit.
Since dragonflies are not intelligent animals and do not have very large brains, what gives them such hunting skills can be quite simple. If this feature is discovered and adapted for an artificial neural network, the military can rely on lighter, more efficient and cheaper missiles.

Planet Magazine