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It’s cockroaches to the rescue!
The invincible cockroach can now be an ideal tool for rescue and spy work.
Researchers at North Carolina State University have figured out how to plug a miniature circuit-board into the senses of a large Madagascar hissing cockroach and take control of its body.
They have managed to control and direct the movement of the cockroach via a micro-controller on its back, News.com.au reported.
Researchers say the equipment is common, cheap and the subject can apparently survive a nuclear war.
The cyborg-roach, reminiscent of Dr Who’s “cybermats”, the bug-like spy and covert operations device of the evil Cybermen, can be commanded into precisely following a predetermined route.
An off-the-shelf micro-controller was pasted on to the back of the 5cm roach and wired to its antennae and abdomen.
Wireless commands to the micro-controller prod the cockroach into believing obstacles or danger were nearby – causing it to change course when desired.
“Our aim was to determine whether we could create a wireless biological interface with cockroaches, which are robust and able to infiltrate small spaces,” said researcher Alper Bozkur.
“Ultimately, we think this will allow us to create a mobile web of smart sensors that uses cockroaches to collect and transmit information, such as finding survivors in a building that’s been destroyed by an earthquake,” Alper Bozkur said.
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