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How a heat-seeking beetle inspired infrared tech that could aid Chinese defence
Sensors 20,000 times faster than conventional devices could rival capabilities of proposed US Golden DomeAfter spending years studying advanced infrared sensors, a group of Chinese researchers has produced a device that could be used to build a surveillance network more powerful and effective than the proposed US missile defence system known as the "Golden Dome".
The Chinese technology, which is capable of unprecedented detection speeds 20,000 times faster than conventional technology, was inspired by nature's most sensitive heat seeker - the fire beetle.
Infrared sensing technology is vital for detecting objects in challenging settings where smoke, fog or dust may obscure conditions. It provides clear imaging and accurate detection by penetrating these obstacles, making it essential for use in military and industrial applications.
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Biological systems are also capable of perceiving motion in complex settings with minimal processing, inspiring new designs for optoelectronic devices.
The fire beetle, for instance, is equipped with a specialised pit organ on its thorax, allowing the insect to detect faint infrared radiation from forest fires hundreds of kilometres away even while flying at high speeds, an accuracy that surpasses the sensitivity of most commercial infrared detectors.
This unique organ evolved for reproduction: the residual heat from wildfires provides the necessary conditions for larvae to hatch from their thick-walled eggs, after which they feed on charred tree bark.
Inspired by this biological mechanism, Professors Hu Weida and Miao Jinshui and their team from the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with researchers from Tongji University, have developed a new high-efficiency infrared sensing device capable of real-time detection, memory and recognition of fast-moving infrared targets.
Their findings were published in the peer-reviewed journals Nature Communications in June and Light: Science & Applications in February.
The team first constructed a transistor based on a combination of palladium diselenide (PdSe₂) and pentacene to form a heterostructure. PdSe₂, a two-dimensional material, provided high absorption in the mid-infrared range, while pentacene, an organic semiconductor, mimicked the biological systems.
The device operated within the 3-4.25µm mid-infrared spectrum and could function at an incident intensity as low as 0.5 mw/cm², which approached the physiological sensitivity threshold of fire beetles.
Using this transistor, the team designed a reservoir computing (RC) framework, and by integrating a 4×4 device array, they were able to identify the direction of flame movement with an accuracy rate of almost 95 per cent.
In simulated fire scenarios with temperatures ranging up to 927 degrees Celsius (1,700 Fahrenheit), the device showed stable responses and memory retention of thermal radiation trajectories, confirming its potential for wildfire warning systems, night-vision navigation, and industrial monitoring.
In the second study, the team developed a black phosphorus/indium selenide (BP/InSe) heterostructure capable of achieving photonic memory in just 0.5 microseconds - 20,000 times faster than conventional optical storage.
When tested with simulated infrared targets, the system recorded 17 distinct feature points, compared with traditional devices that could only capture a single blurred point.
The technologies would be suitable for environmental monitoring, military surveillance, autonomous driving and night vision, according to the authors.
Although no specific examples were given, if devices incorporating such technologies were deployed in drone swarms or satellite constellations, they could form a distributed infrared surveillance network.
The fire beetle-inspired chips could be integrated into the HQ-17AE short-range surface-to-air defence system to intercept missiles in sandstorms or nighttime conditions, while chips developed with BP/InSe could boost naval laser defences, such as firing control for the electromagnetic railguns on a Chinese aircraft carrier.
In May, US President Donald Trump unveiled the Golden Dome, a multibillion-dollar space-based missile defence system. The next-generation shield would include a global network of infrared early-warning satellites equipped with sensors and interceptors designed to detect and destroy various missile threats and radar-evading stealth technology before or during their flight.
However, the system would be based on traditional silicon-based complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor sensors that could not provide the response speed, positioning accuracy and sensitivity of devices that can be made with the Chinese technology, according to the studies.
The researchers said the findings from both studies could overcome the limits caused by the traditional hardware separation of sensors and processors, significantly reducing data latency and power consumption.
"By integrating sensing, memory and processing functions, the proposed system significantly reduced data transmission delays and enhanced motion processing efficiency," they said.
Additionally, the devices feature low-voltage operation, room-temperature functionality, and scalable array manufacturing - making them ideal for edge-computing applications in drones, autonomous vehicles and satellite remote sensing.
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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