Spy bugs

A butterfly flew over an electrified security fence and over the rolls of barbed wire, flowing to a restricted area. It ignored the flowers and did not drink from any of the rushing streams. Never once did it venture outside the fence`s established one-square-kilometer perimeter. The insect flew there day after day, night after night, never eating, never resting. The butterfly was hit by a strong wind flowing from the north, bursting into fragments. A patrolman was flabbergasted when he found the butterfly’s remains comprising metal wings, a wired chest, batteries, transmitters and optic-fiber cables. The butterfly had the unusual name "Papilio Panoptes," which means a person who sees everything. The insect turns out to be a micro-sized unmanned spy plane. This story comes from the spy novel “Rules of Deception.” In the movie “Minority Report,” a robot spider spies on a house, and in the Korean drama “Athena,” a ladybug robot becomes a scout.

Spy bugs are no longer the stuff of science fiction. With a wing just 3 centimeters wide, a robot fly prototype is equipped with a micro camera, navigator and wireless transmission device and flies up 500 meters into the air. In another case, electronic devices are transplanted into a living bug. And in yet another case, a remote control is transplanted into the antenna and muscles of a cockroach immune to radioactivity. Then, the cockroach is given the duty of detecting nuclear signs in enemy states.

The U.S. Air Force has showcased a variety of unmanned airplanes. Its research team is developing ten types of unmanned planes that move like bugs such as moths and dragonflies. Since they can pass through the enemy camp without being spotted, the U.S. Air Force plans to use them as scouts. It has sent small unmanned planes to battlefields in risky regions. From next year, American police will legalize an unmanned plane the size of a small bird to fly over homes for surveillance and help prevent crime. This matter has sparked disputes over privacy infringement, however.

The commercialization of spy bugs will benefit soldiers in war and firefighters who work in dangerous places. Professional spies might lose their jobs but there is no time to worry about unemployment. So the next time a bird or butterfly flies to the window, people might have to close the window and stay quiet.

Editorial Writer Lee Hyeong-sam (hans@donga.com)