![\"Scientists](\"https:\/\/wp-assets.futurism.com\/2020\/07\/beetle-sized-camera-livestream-insect-life-300x158.jpg\")
<\/div>Beetlecam<\/h2>
To get a first-hand look at the daily life of insects, scientists built a tiny camera they can mount on a beetle using a lilliputian backpack.<\/p>
The Beetlecam (our name, not theirs) comes from the computer science department of the University of Washington, who were tasked with designing a camera light enough to not interrupt a bug’s daily routine but powerful enough to stream live footage to a smartphone. The result, Gizmodo <\/a><\/em>reports<\/a>, is a teeny robotic rig that grants real-time access to a bug’s view<\/a> of the world.<\/p> The main challenge the team had to overcome was building a camera small enough to be carried by the death-feigning and Pinacate beetles — both of which Gizmodo<\/em> reports are known for carrying things up steep inclines — and making the camera powerful enough to be worth using in the first place.<\/p> Even a smartphone’s built-in camera would be too heavy, so the scientists took inspiration from insects themselves, according to research<\/a> published Wednesday in the journal Science Robotics<\/em>. Like a fly’s compound eyes, the Beetlecam has a wide field of vision but only a small range in which the image is particularly sharp.<\/p> The resulting footage is about as good as you’d expect from a beetle-friendly backpack. Gizmodo<\/em> reports that the black-and-white footage streams between just one and five frames per second.<\/p> Looking forward, Gizmodo reports that the researchers may someday do away with the beetle part of the Beetlecam altogether, with bug-sized surveillance robots. We, needless to say, prefer spying on bugs instead.<\/p> READ MORE: <\/strong>Researchers Created Tiny Camera Backpacks for Beetles<\/a> [Gizmodo<\/em>]<\/p> More on insects: <\/strong>Scientists Warn “Insect Apocalypse” Could Doom Humanity<\/a><\/em><\/p> The post Scientists Build Tiny Camera For Beetles to Carry Around<\/a> appeared first on Futurism<\/a>.<\/p> Read the original here: Beetlecam To get a first-hand look at the daily life of insects, scientists built a tiny\u00a0camera they can mount on a beetle using a lilliputian backpack. The Beetlecam (our name, not theirs) comes from the computer science department of the University of Washington, who were tasked with designing a camera light enough to not interrupt a bug\u2019s daily routine but powerful enough to stream live footage to a smartphone. Continue reading Packing Light<\/h2>
First Glimpse<\/h2>
Scientists Build Tiny Camera For Beetles to Carry Around<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"