Cockroaches carrying a tiny technological package will be able to assist in remote control espionage and rescue missions
Imagine insects such as cockroaches, beetles or ants carrying an electrical device that allows you to control their movements, just like the movements of a small robot. It seems like science fiction, but a research group from Japan did exactly that. In a new article published in the scientific journal Nature, researchers from the National Research and Development Corporation of Japan (RIKEN) describe how they managed to produce a solar electric device and attach it to the backs of cockroaches. In the past, several attempts have already been made to produce such technological units, but the new facility is particularly efficient and can last a relatively long time without charging.
A remote controlled cockroach carrying a solar device. Illustration of Robo-Jock | Source: RIKEN, research paper
The way to the cockroaches
Insects are among the most common animals on Earth. They are found almost everywhere and in the environment, including in our cities and homes, humans, and even on our bodies – like lice. Using insects for our needs is not a new phenomenon, from bees used to pollinate crops and produce honey to wasps and beetles used in biological control; But insects carrying technological equipment are a relatively new direction and have enormous potential. For years, scientists have tried to produce technological units that would interface with various insects, in order to use them for espionage and eavesdropping missions and even search and rescue – for example, insects that would enter the ruins of a collapsed building, wander through the contents and search for survivors. The main challenge in such a development was the battery, whose size and weight are relatively large for the insects’ tiny bodies, and it does not last long without charging.
Cockroaches are particularly suitable for such uses because they are relatively large insects. They have a hard exoskeleton and their body consists of three parts: head, thorax and abdomen. As part of the current study, the researchers have developed a solar electric unit that will harm as little as possible the ability of the cockroach that carries it to move. They chose Madagascar cockroaches (whispering cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa), of the largest species of cockroaches, which are 6 centimeters long on average; These cockroaches also do not have wings, which could interfere with the installation. The researchers designed a kind of backpack that includes a wireless control unit and a lithium polymer battery. The pod was attached to the middle body of the cockroaches, while a thin solar unit, 4 microns thick, was attached to the abdomen. Thanks to the separation between the solar cell and the electric unit, the movement of the cockroaches was not affected. Electric wires attached to the cockroaches’ limbs allow the operators to remotely control the movement of the insect and direct it in the desired direction.
All the parts were printed with a 3D printer from thin and flexible polymers, so as not to interfere with the movement of the insect. The new device can operate for two hours after a full charge. The researchers followed the cockroaches that carried the units for at least 3 days, during which they videoed that the devices remained on their bodies and did not fall or be damaged.
The researchers believe that the unit they developed could be adapted to other insects in the future. “Our strategy can also be adapted to other insects, such as beetles and perhaps even to flying insects such as cicadas,” explains Kenjiro Fukuda, one of the leaders of the research team that developed the product. In the future, if we notice a cockroach or a beetle, we will have to take into account that before us there may be insects on duty, which carry sensors or cameras on their bodies and can not only startle us, but also help us.