Darkling beetles have been fitted with microchip backpacks and controlled by engineers at the University of Queensland, without harming the insect. The removable backpacks, developed by Dr Thang Vo-Doan and Lachlan Fitzgerald, are connected to video game controllers that are used to manoeuvre the beetles in specific directions. This is done using electrodes that stimulate the insect’s antenna or hardened forewings known as elytrons. That's just one of the latest developments in engineering and t