Scientists in China have found a way to mass-produce cyborg cockroaches. In fact, a new study shows that scientists have found a way to create these electronically improved insects every 68 seconds without any human intervention.
This attempt to automate and mass-produce the production of cyborg insects has only grown following previous experiments to merge electronics with live insects, allowing them to be remotely controlled without hurting them.
Engineers in Singapore have further refined the research, though, allowing them to equip beetles and cockroaches with electronic backpacks. A robot equipped with computer vision automatically creates cyborg cockroaches, similar to how a robot with computer vision might operate within an automotive factory.
The findings have not been peer-reviewed. However, they were published in late November on the preprint platform arXiv, the South China Morning Post reports. The team behind the automated process previously experimented with implanting various electrodes into insects to control their muscles and sensory organs.
However, they found that manual implantation was very slow and intricate because of just how delicate the insects’ bodies are. However, using a computer to automate the process speeds it up while the cyborg cockroaches remain relatively unharmed.
One reason cockroaches make good candidates for these experiments is the sturdy pronotum, which is the hard plate on their backs. This plating is perfect for attaching the electronic backpack without hurting the insect itself. You can see video footage from a previous experiment embedded above.
Exactly what these scientists and engineers hope to do with cyborg cockroaches is unclear. But, considering just how resilient these insects are, there are probably several use cases, including monitoring hazardous areas that humans can’t typically enter without risk to themselves.
