Watch a cyborg cockroach navigate a maze

A cyborg cockroach controlled by an electronic backpack, which attaches to its antennae and abdomen without injuring it, could be used for building inspections or search-and-rescue missions. Electronically controllable cockroaches aren’t new, but all previous work required invasive surgeries to implant an electrode directly into the insect’s nervous system. As well as potentially causing pain, …

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Flying robot generates as much power as a flapping insect

A flying robot with wings controlled by an electric field instead of heavy motors and gears slightly outperforms insect muscles Technology 2 February 2022 By Alex Wilkins A small robot with wings like an insect can fly and generate more power than a similarly sized animal in nature. Most flying robots, whether they use wings …

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Cyborg cockroach with camera ‘backpack’ can be steered remotely

By Matthew Sparkes A Madagascar hissing cockroach with a computer on its back and electrodes connected to its sensory organs NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY A cockroach fitted with a “backpack” computer and infrared camera, controlled by electrodes, could help locate warm bodies in the rubble of buildings destroyed by earthquakes. Hirotaka Sato at Nanyang Technological University …

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