Why turn cockroaches into butterflies when you can make them into cyborgs? Cockroaches have long been a subject of fascination for scientists. These tiny insects are often viewed as pests, but these resilient creatures have now found themselves in the spotlight of cutting-edge research.
Science X Network reported that a team of mechanical engineers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has found a way to electronically control cockroaches without hurting the little critters.
This picture taken on March 25, 2019 shows a cockroach at a roach farm in Yibin, China's southwestern Sichuan province. - As farmer Li Bingcai opened the door to his cockroach farm in southwest China, an insect the size of a dart flew into his face. Picking the critter off his forehead, he tossed it back into the dark room where some 10 million more of its kind scurried around, housed in wooden frames perched on shelves.
Creating Cyborg Cockroaches
While previous attempts at creating cyborg cockroaches required invasive procedures, this innovative team took a more humane approach. The researchers recognized that damaging these insects during experiments resulted in short lifespans, not to mention ethical concerns about causing pain.
"Here, we develop a non-invasive method for cyborg insects to address above issues, using a conformal electrode with an in-situ polymerized ion-conducting layer and an electron-conducting layer," the researchers noted.
"The neural and locomotion responses to the electrical inductions verify the efficient communication between insects and controllers by the non-invasive method," they added.
Rather than surgical probes, they designed layered gold and plastic cuffs that fit over each antenna like a custom-tailored suit. Once in place, a brief exposure to ultraviolet light caused the cuffs to shrink securely, similar to plastic shrink-wrap.
Connected to these cuffs was a small backpack, wirelessly controlled by a hand-held device. This backpack could send gentle electric impulses to either antenna, prompting the cockroach to turn in a specific direction. An electrode was also delicately attached to the cockroach's abdomen to add a dash of speed control.
"To control cyborg insects without harming their tissues, non-invasive electrodes are needed to stimulate the insects through their body surface. The antennae can sense the surrounding obstacles and induce the turning reactions of insect to avoid them. Hence, the antennae are selected for non-invasive electrodes to attached on for triggering the insect's turning reaction," the researchers said.
New Chapter in Bio-Electronic Interfaces
This ingenious setup allowed the researchers to guide their insect cyborg around various tracks and obstacle courses. Through these experiments, they reported the successful demonstration of the precision and versatility of their non-invasive method.
In this pursuit, the team has not only opened a new chapter in bio-electronic interfaces but also raised ethical standards by prioritizing the well-being of their roach co-pilots.
The study's findings, titled "Resilient conductive membrane synthesized by in-situ polymerisation for wearable non-invasive electronics on moving appendages of cyborg insect," were published in the journal npj Flexible Electronics.
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