Cyborg cockroaches in a robotic factory

 

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



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The findings, which have not been peer-reviewed, were published on the preprint platform arXiv on November 20 by Professor Hirotaka Sato with Nanyang Technological University and first author Lin Qifeng,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. 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.The assembly process integrated a deep learning-based vision system to accurately identify implantation sites and included a specialised structure to secure the insect.

The system began with anaesthetising Madagascar hissing cockroaches using carbon dioxide. They were then placed on a platform where metal rods automatically fixed their position.

A robot equipped with computer vision then identified the body structures of each cockroach, accounting for individual size differences, and determined the precise implantation site. Using a robotic arm, an electronic backpack was then implanted onto the insect, with mounting branches underneath the backpack to provide stability. Extensive experiments were conducted to ensure the viability of the implantation and stimulation processes. Five hybrid robots that were assembled automatically were tested for locomotion control, including steering and deceleration, and their performance was compared with manually assembled systems.

The results matched the performance of counterparts that had been manually assembled. Under a 0.4 second stimulation, the automatically assembled hybrid robots showed effective steering control of more than 70 degrees, and deceleration control of 68.2 per cent. The team also tested a group of four hybrid robots outdoors on uneven terrain using an ultra-wideband localisation system. Within 10 minutes, the robots had covered 80 per cent of a 4 square metre (43 square feet) obstacle-laden area. The scientists said their next challenge is to empower cyborg insects to operate autonomously, which could enable hundreds of such robots to be operated simultaneously.

“In the future, factories for insect-computer hybrid robots could be built to meet the demand for rapid preparation and deployment. Additional sensors could be integrated into the electronic backpacks to enable specialised applications, such as inspections and search missions,” the researcher said in their paper. The significant advance in the field of robotics could also have other potential applications spanning various industries and disaster response scenarios.

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