Here are a collection of examples that I use in my Human Geography lecture on the militarisation of nature. If you want to find out more about DARPA then you can do so here.
The videos below are examples of biomimicry – using the mechanism of a biological organism as a model for an inanimate object or machine.
Other examples are closer to what we might call a true cyborg (cybernetic organism) which involves the fusing of both biological and artificial systems. These range in scale from remote controlled insects, rats etc through to the more ambitious remote controlled shark.
DARPA’s Cheetah, September 2012
DARPA’s Pet-Proto Robot, October 2012
DARPA’s Big Dog, April 2010
DARPA’s Legged Support System, September 2012
Nano Quadrotor drones – capable of coordinated flight, January 2012
For one of the early fictional imaginings of a cyborg world, watch Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi classic, Blade Runner. Here’s the trailer: