Cyborg cockroaches can now be mass-produced in a robotic factory. Pleasant dreams

Robots can implant electronics on insects to produce cybernetically controlled bugs in just over a minute, researchers say

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Roach patrols. Insect-computer hybrid robots can now be mass produced, according to scientists in Singapore. Photo: Hirotaka Sato group

Published: 10:00pm, 14 Dec 2024

Researchers have taken the concept of cyborg insects to the next level – automated mass production that could turn out cybernetically controlled bugs every 68 seconds, a technology that may prove useful in search-and-rescue operations or factory inspections.

Previous experiments have found that it is possible to merge electronics with live insects to remotely control their behaviour without hurting them.

But the research by the mechanical engineers in Singapore has helped to streamline the process of implanting electronic backpacks onto insects such as cockroaches and beetles by using a robot equipped with computer vision.

The findings, which have not been peer-reviewed, were published on the preprint platform arXiv on November 20 by Professor Hirotaka Sato with Nanyang Technological University and first author Lin Qifeng, from China.

An insect-computer hybrid robot and its automatic assembly setup. Photo: Handout

The team previously experimented with implanting electrodes in insects to control their muscles, neural systems and sensory organs. However, manual implantation proved to be a slow and intricate process due to the delicate body structures of the insects.

In their latest experiments, the team deployed a robot with visual capabilities to implant electronics on a cockroach, selected for its sturdy pronotum, the hard plate covering its back.