Gerry Palmers Science 09.06.2022 00:Sep AM EDT

Scientists Turn Cockroaches Into Cyborgs For Rescue Missions, Environment Monitoring

Scientists have created a ccockroach-like insect cyborg, using the Madagascar hissing cockroach, designed to monitor the environment and participate in natural disaster rescue missions.

In a new study published in the journal NPJ Flexible Electronics, an international research team revealed it had created a system to control the legs of cockroaches remotely.

Backpack Transforms Cockroach Into Remote-Controlled Bug

The system, which is actually a cockroach backpack wired into the insect's nervous system, provides a power output that is around 50 times higher than previous devices and is made with an ultrathin and flexible solar cell that doesn't impede the cockroach's movement. Pressing a button transmits an electrical shock to the backpack that makes the insect move in a certain direction.

Thinking this is weird ad icky? Actually, cyborg roaches are not a new idea. Back in 2012, researchers at North Carolina State University started experimenting with Madagascar hissing cockroaches and placed wireless backpacks on them, revealing that the insects could be remotely controlled to walk along a certain track.

The method by which scientists do this is by placing the backpack and connecting wires to a cockroach's "cerci," which are two appendages at the end of its abdomen that are essentially sensory nerves on the left and right sides of the critter. Electrical impulses on either side stimulate the cockroach into moving in that direction, giving researchers some control over its movement.

But to send and receive signals, one needs to power the backpack by maybe using a battery. You might be able to use a battery but eventually, a battery will run out of power, and the cyborg cockroach will then disappear to the farthest ends of the room or yard.

Solar Battery Pack Powers Roach Cyborg System

Researchers in this new study engineered the system to be solar-powered and rechargeable. They placed a battery and stimulation module on the roach's thorax or upper segment of its body, which comprises the first step. The next step was to ensure that the solar cell module would remain stuck in the cockroach's abdomen, the segmented lower section of its body.

While humans have found ideal ways to carry and wear a backpack but it's surely not the same for insects. The cockroach's segmented abdomen gives the critter the ability to contort itself or flip itself over once it encounters a threatening situation. Once you attach a sticky backpack or charging cell to it, you limit its movement and take away its ability to maneuver.

To overcome this, the researchers experimented with a number of thin electronic films, then observed how the roaches moved depending on the film's thickness. This allowed them to decide on a module around 17 times thinner than human hair. It stuck to the cockroaches' abdomen without greatly limiting the freedom of movement the roaches had, and this remained stuck around for about a month, significantly outlasting similar systems in the past.

Then the fun begins: controlling the insects remotely.

The researchers demonstrated how the system could maneuver the roach right, as wanted, through a wireless system.