Researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have shown that living insects can be controlled remotely. They equipped Madagascar hissing cockroaches with a “backpack” that connects two electrodes to the insects’ sensory organs. Using radio signals and a microcontroller, they could send electrical impulses to the cockroaches, making them move in different directions, slow down, or stop.
In a new study from November, the same team developed an “automatic assembly method for insect-computer hybrid robots.” This system can transform a cockroach into a cyborg in just 68 seconds. Previously, the manual process was difficult and time-consuming, with results depending on the precision of the scientists. Variations in electrode implantation could affect remote control later.
To eliminate human error and enable mass production, the researchers created an automated assembly system. The setup includes an operating table where anesthetized adult hissing cockroaches, which can grow up to six centimeters, are secured. A robotic arm picks up a prepared backpack and implants the electrodes into the cockroach.
The process begins by exposing part of the pronotum to access the underlying membrane, where the electrodes are fixed. The backpack, containing the control unit, is attached to the insect’s metathorax using small hooks. Since each cockroach varies in size, the system must identify deviations to find the ideal reference points. This is achieved using artificial intelligence and computer vision. A camera scans the cockroach’s body and analyzes where the robotic arm should place the electrodes.
The robotic assembly is 60 times faster than manual operation. While human preparation and operation could take up to an hour per cockroach, the system can outfit four insects in under eight minutes. In some cases, it took just over a minute per cockroach.
To ensure quality, the researchers compared the automatically assembled hybrid robots with manually assembled ones. The results showed that the automatically assembled hybrids had comparable movement control, making mass production feasible.
But why is mass production necessary? The researchers cite potential uses for these robo-cockroaches in search and rescue missions after disasters or for inspecting factories and industrial plants. Equipped with sensors, these insects could locate trapped people or detect leaks and cracks in structures. To be effective and cover large areas quickly, dozens, if not hundreds or thousands, of these prepared insects are needed.
Before deploying cyborg cockroaches outside the lab, other challenges must be addressed. Fabian Steinbeck, a researcher at the University of Bielefeld, who also works with bio-robots, noted that search and rescue missions could be difficult due to signal reception issues in collapsed buildings.