A cockroach with an electronic backpack can be controlled remotely
Courtesy of Hirotaka Sato, Nanyang Technological University
A robotic arm that can automatically transform cockroaches into controllable cyborgs could be used to create swarms of biological robots for search missions.
Sato Hirotaka at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and colleagues have previously shown that groups of 20 Madagascar hissing cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa) equipped with an electronic backpack can drive through desert-like terrain. However, for use in a real-world search and rescue mission, the team estimates that hundreds or thousands of cyborg insects would be needed.
