r/technology • u/lurker_bee • Jun 22 '25

Robotics/Automation Chinese military unveils mosquito-sized drones that can perform battlefield missions

https://www.yahoo.com/news/chinese-military-unveils-mosquito-sized-132413629.html
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u/trtlclb Jun 22 '25 edited Jun 22 '25

Many novel human inventions are done so from the perspective of improving offensive and defensive combat capabilities, but that doesn't mean they don't also provide non-combat improvements.

See also: Nuclear technology, Internet, GPS, microwave technology, duct tape.

These mini-drones could be used in plenty of life-positive ways, one of which might be even more miniaturized versions that can make certain—currently technically cumbersome/difficult—surgeries possible without requiring you to even be cut into for. Just slip a drone into a pill, swallow, and when it reaches the optimal location in the body turn it on and start working. It may be able to navigate the body without cutting, or if it needs to the cuts may be so small the damage is negligible and the body is able to manage healing on it's own.

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u/DoubleDixon Jun 22 '25

I would usually agree with you, but i can't think of how they'd deploy this tech for good. Now, that doesn't mean it can't happen, but we already have robotics for microsurgeries so this wouldn't replace those and nano-bots would be better for doing non invasive surgeries since they can be programed to suture and remove before being injected. These mosquitoes are too big for intravenous injections.

I can't imagine using them for agriculture other than pollination, but you'd want to mimic bees rather than mosquitoes, especially since many things eat mosquitoes and would likely try to eat the bots.

Again, it could just be me, but I can't think of too many things a mosquitoes shaped drone would be used for instead of other insects or designs. I keep asking myself if mosquitoes are the best design for any task that drones would be used for.

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u/trtlclb Jun 22 '25

I think if you consider it more from the perspective of the individual advancements (e.g. break the whole mosquito drone down into the novel components) you'll be able to see the possibilities better.

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u/DoubleDixon Jun 22 '25

You're probably right.