No, but upon inception they were similar in their function, created to spy on people. The SmartBird was inspired by the herring seagull and created by scientists at technology firm, Festo. It is considered to be so realistic that it could be mistaken for the real thing. Its revolutionary design allows it to start, fly and land autonomously. Yet it can be controlled by a radio handset but will also simply glide through the skies if left to its own devices. [1]
The Insectothopter was a miniature unmanned aerial vehicle developed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the 1970s. It was the size of a dragonfly and was handpainted to look like one. It was powered by a small gasoline engine to make the wings move. [2] The project was abandoned when the Insectothopter was found to be too difficult to control in crosswinds. [3] [4]
But the project was beneficial for the development of more recent unmanned aerial vehicles in the shape and size of insects that can be used by Big Brother to spy on the masses in a covert manner.
Endnotes
[1]http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/22/festos-smartbird-robot-flies-through-the-air-at- ted
[2]CNN.”CIA exhibits spy gadgets with Bond edge.” 10.28.2003. www.cnn. com/2003/TECH/10/28/tech.cia.reut.
[3] http://news.cnet.com/2300-17938_105-10006776-5.html.
[4] Insectothopter Robotic Dragonfly CIA Tech From 1970s www.technovelgy. com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=3205