The US Military has always been involved in controversial animal experimentation,
but this latest project being undertaken by the Defence Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is possibly one of the most disturbing
to date – and it’s being paid for with your tax dollars.
Hybrid Microelectricalmechanical Systems
DARPA’s insect cyborg project aims to develop Hybrid Microelectricalmechanical Systems (HI-MEMS) that combine nano technology with the bodies of living insects for the advancement of military weapons and reconnaissance drones.
Few details of this largely secretive project make their way into the public domain, and as usual with this type of project, ‘defence of our country’ seems to give the government free reign to do as they wish, without any public input on the ethics of what is going to be undertaken.
What we do know is that after years of development and testing, millions of dollars, and an untold number of insects being tortured, dissected and murdered, the results have been almost entirely ‘unsatisfactory’ to the aims of the project. This includes the “ultimate failure of a $3 million project to train honeybees to find land mines.”
Our Lack of Compassion for Insects
A 2014 paper in ‘Society and Animals’ investigated the social and ethical grounding for the HI-MEMS project, and discovered that there was a society wide lack of compassion and understanding of insects which led us to the belief that they are not worthy of the same protection as other animals.
Many people perceive insects as robotic like pests who do not have the same capabilities to feel pain, think complex thoughts, or act with personality or individual character. This is why there is barely any resistance to them being murdered en masse in our homes, gardens, public spaces and agricultural land.
Society’s apathy towards insects leaves them open to abuse, without opposition. “In Western societies negligible value is attached to the lives of insects in general, and few penalties exist for capturing, torturing, or killing insects.”
Modern scientific study has proven beyond doubt that insects are incredibly intelligent creatures who feel pain and behave with individuality and thought, just like any other animal. Insects may be more difficult for us to relate to, but does that mean that they are any less worthy of protection and the right to be free from the cruel and unnecessary infliction of pain and suffering.
It’s Time Technology Took Over from Cruelty
With the rapid advancement of technology, especially in electronics and nanotechnology, it seems completely absurd that the government would spend millions of dollars trying to generate insect robot hybrids to accomplish tasks which we could achieve with new technology alone.
Even after all the money and lives spent on this project, the military have barely achieved any of their objectives and have admitted that the insects have been “more difficult to train than had been anticipated.”
The ‘Society and Animals’ paper stated that “HI-MEMS represents animal life hijacked by the most experimental arm of the military-industrial complex and presented to the public in a display of technological prowess,” but when is the public going to see this for what it really is, an unnecessary and cruel project which exploits and murders animals.
Hybrid Microelectricalmechanical Systems
DARPA’s insect cyborg project aims to develop Hybrid Microelectricalmechanical Systems (HI-MEMS) that combine nano technology with the bodies of living insects for the advancement of military weapons and reconnaissance drones.
Few details of this largely secretive project make their way into the public domain, and as usual with this type of project, ‘defence of our country’ seems to give the government free reign to do as they wish, without any public input on the ethics of what is going to be undertaken.
What we do know is that after years of development and testing, millions of dollars, and an untold number of insects being tortured, dissected and murdered, the results have been almost entirely ‘unsatisfactory’ to the aims of the project. This includes the “ultimate failure of a $3 million project to train honeybees to find land mines.”
Our Lack of Compassion for Insects
A 2014 paper in ‘Society and Animals’ investigated the social and ethical grounding for the HI-MEMS project, and discovered that there was a society wide lack of compassion and understanding of insects which led us to the belief that they are not worthy of the same protection as other animals.
Many people perceive insects as robotic like pests who do not have the same capabilities to feel pain, think complex thoughts, or act with personality or individual character. This is why there is barely any resistance to them being murdered en masse in our homes, gardens, public spaces and agricultural land.
Society’s apathy towards insects leaves them open to abuse, without opposition. “In Western societies negligible value is attached to the lives of insects in general, and few penalties exist for capturing, torturing, or killing insects.”
Modern scientific study has proven beyond doubt that insects are incredibly intelligent creatures who feel pain and behave with individuality and thought, just like any other animal. Insects may be more difficult for us to relate to, but does that mean that they are any less worthy of protection and the right to be free from the cruel and unnecessary infliction of pain and suffering.
It’s Time Technology Took Over from Cruelty
With the rapid advancement of technology, especially in electronics and nanotechnology, it seems completely absurd that the government would spend millions of dollars trying to generate insect robot hybrids to accomplish tasks which we could achieve with new technology alone.
Even after all the money and lives spent on this project, the military have barely achieved any of their objectives and have admitted that the insects have been “more difficult to train than had been anticipated.”
The ‘Society and Animals’ paper stated that “HI-MEMS represents animal life hijacked by the most experimental arm of the military-industrial complex and presented to the public in a display of technological prowess,” but when is the public going to see this for what it really is, an unnecessary and cruel project which exploits and murders animals.
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