Japanese scientists create moth-controlled robot [VIDEO]

Scientists strapped male silkmoths into an drivable robotic exoskeleton and set them loose toward the scent of female sex pheromones.

The male silkmoth was chosen due to its characteristic “mating dance.” Once the male picks up on the pheromone it exhibits a distinctive zig-zag walking pattern with several turns followed by a loop.

The moth exoskeleton is essentially a styrofoam trackball controlled by the legs of the moth. The moth found his pheromone finish quite easily, so researchers made it more difficult to turn the ball and blew fans at the moth's antennae.

Watch the moth in this video from the Institute of Physics: