Moscow - A Russian scientist claims he has created remote controlled turtles for spying missions.
Alexei Burikov, head of the biology department at Rostov-on-Don State Pedagogical University, said a human controller could direct the turles by fitting devices to their shells.
The device sent vibrations through the turtle's shell, which the turtle would be trained to interpret as a sign that it must change direction.
The scientist added that a tiny camera fixed to the turtle's shell could relay reconnaissance images of an area to a command and control centre.
Mr Burikov said turtles could be used to carry out a whole range of dangerous operations, from placing bombs in an enemy's headquarters to depositing hi-tech recording devices.
But the invention could be used for purposes unrelated to the military as well, he told Russian reporters.
"Monitoring could be conducted for both environmental and defence purposes," he said.
Turtles could be used to observe other wildlife in a way that no human being would ever be able to do, he added. - Ananova.com
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