Researchers Remotely Control Cockroaches With Electronic Backpack
By using sensors to steer cockroaches, the bugs could be used to gather information in tricky environments.
Cockroaches aren't exactly pleasant, but researchers at North Carolina State University have found a good scientific use for the pesky bugs. Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Alper Bozkurt and his team have found a way to remotely control live cockroaches by attaching an electronic "backpack" to the bugs, allowing humans to control and steer them. The backpack contains a low-cost chip with a wireless receiver and transmitter, as well as a microcontroller attached to the roach's antennae and cerci.
Creating these "biobotic cockroaches" was a cost-effective alternative to "small-scale robots," which would have been too difficult to produce quickly and efficiently. The biobotic bugs are an electronically safe way to get information from dangerous locations, like an earthquake-destroyed building, and since "cockroaches are experts at performing in such a hostile environment" they're a natural fit for the job.
The wires attached to the cerci, the sensory organs on the roach's abdomen, are used to scare the roaches into thinking a predator is coming from behind, causing the bug to move forward. Meanwhile, the antennae wires are "electronic reins" that cause them to think they've come in contact with a physical barrier, steering them in a different direction. A recent experiment showed that the researchers could effectively steer roaches along a curved line using the microcontroller.
This is a great use for cockroaches, who seem to serve no other purpose than generally being gross. Now, if Alper Bozkurt could make a cat-sized electronic backpack so I could make my cat get me a soda, I'd really be impressed.
Source & Image: Phys.org [http://phys.org/news/2012-09-technique-remotely-cockroaches-video.html]
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By using sensors to steer cockroaches, the bugs could be used to gather information in tricky environments.
Cockroaches aren't exactly pleasant, but researchers at North Carolina State University have found a good scientific use for the pesky bugs. Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Alper Bozkurt and his team have found a way to remotely control live cockroaches by attaching an electronic "backpack" to the bugs, allowing humans to control and steer them. The backpack contains a low-cost chip with a wireless receiver and transmitter, as well as a microcontroller attached to the roach's antennae and cerci.
Creating these "biobotic cockroaches" was a cost-effective alternative to "small-scale robots," which would have been too difficult to produce quickly and efficiently. The biobotic bugs are an electronically safe way to get information from dangerous locations, like an earthquake-destroyed building, and since "cockroaches are experts at performing in such a hostile environment" they're a natural fit for the job.
The wires attached to the cerci, the sensory organs on the roach's abdomen, are used to scare the roaches into thinking a predator is coming from behind, causing the bug to move forward. Meanwhile, the antennae wires are "electronic reins" that cause them to think they've come in contact with a physical barrier, steering them in a different direction. A recent experiment showed that the researchers could effectively steer roaches along a curved line using the microcontroller.
This is a great use for cockroaches, who seem to serve no other purpose than generally being gross. Now, if Alper Bozkurt could make a cat-sized electronic backpack so I could make my cat get me a soda, I'd really be impressed.
Source & Image: Phys.org [http://phys.org/news/2012-09-technique-remotely-cockroaches-video.html]
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