Researchers Turn Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches Into Remote Control Cockroach Cyborgs

Posted on September 7, 2012

Researchers from North Carolina State University have created remote control cockroach cyborgs. A tiny backpack containing a wireless receiver, transmitter and microcontroller is attached to a Madagascar hissing cockroach.

The cockroach also has electrodes implanted in it. The microcontroller is wired to the cockroach's antennae and cerci (sensory organs located in the roach's abdomen). This video shows how researchers were then able to use the microcontroller to steer the cockroach along a curved line. Take a look:

A research paper on the insect biobots was published at the 34th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society in San Diego, Calif.



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