From a cyborg moth to hybrid organic computers?

Ian Lamont writes: "A group of researchers at the University of Arizona has built a robot that is guided by brain impulses from a hawk moth. The 'robotic electrophysiology instrument' works via an implant in the moth's minuscule brain that measures electrical activity in the neurons that relay visual input. The insect is fastened to the front of the 12"-high robot, and if something moves toward it, the robot tries to move away. You can see a picture of the robot here. However, while team leader Charles Higgins says he expects to see "hybrid" computers running a combination of technology and living organic tissue within 15 years, he does not intend to expand the research to primate brains: 'Our goal is not to hook up primate brains to a robot ... There's the possibility, when you start to tap into brains, for all sorts of evil applications. There are certainly all these ethical issues when you start talking about human and primate brains.'"