Israel is using nanotechnology to try to create a robot no bigger than a hornet that would be able to chase, photograph and kill its targets, an Israeli newspaper reported today.
The flying robot, nicknamed the "bionic hornet", would be able to navigate its way down narrow alleyways to reach targets such as rocket launchers, the daily Yedioth Ahronothsaid.
It is one of several weapons being developed by scientists to combat militants, it reported. Others include super gloves that would give the user the strength of a "bionic man" and miniature sensors to detect suicide bombers.
"The war in Lebanon proved that we need smaller weaponry. It's illogical to send a plane worth $100 million against a suicidal terrorist. So we are building futuristic weapons," deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres told Yedioth Ahronothsaid.
Prototypes for the new weapons are expected within three years, he said.
The 34-day war in Lebanon ended with a UN-brokered ceasefire in mid-August. The war killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 157 Israelis, mostly soldiers.